Prince William—and, alongside him, his wife Kate Middleton—aren’t afraid to break royal tradition for the sake of giving their three kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis a better life.
One tradition the Prince of Wales will break as he and his family move into the $21 million, eight-bedroom Forest Lodge by the end of the year? Not living in Buckingham Palace—or any other royal residence—when he becomes king, whenever that may be. In doing so, William will become the first monarch since medieval times to not live in a royal castle or palace, as Forest Lodge—nestled within Windsor Great Park—has been deemed as the family’s “forever home.”
Forest Lodge.
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William and Kate also delayed telling their eldest child and heir to the throne George about his destiny as king someday, wanting to avoid the way in which William was told when he himself was a boy. They’re also specifically looking to avoid the dreaded “heir and spare” dynamic that plagued William and his younger brother Prince Harry so much that the latter titled his 2023 memoir Spare because of it.
“William is focused on creating a stable and private family life—the kind he never had when he was growing up,” former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told GB News (via Marie Claire). “And so he wants to keep his family firmly rooted.”
Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Kate Middleton, and Princess Charlotte on May 5, 2025.
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“He’s already defined the way he wants to do things,” Bond continued. “He calls it royalty with a small ‘r.’” She added that “I think a ‘forever’ home at Forest Lodge is in keeping with that philosophy.”
While William will likely use Buckingham Palace—the iconic symbol of the British monarchy which is currently undergoing extensive renovations through roughly 2027—as an office, he seems to have no desire to live there. “I don’t think William is going to bat an eyelid about breaking certain royal traditions,” Bond said. “He doesn’t want to live in a palace or a castle, and he has made up his mind to do things differently.”
Prince William and Kate Middleton on May 8, 2025.
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Princess Charlotte, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Prince William.
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It’s a significant move for the Wales family of five to remain at Forest Lodge when the time comes for William to take the throne, but the decision isn’t without good reason. “Living in a house—albeit a pretty big house, as Forest Lodge is—will give his family a much more normal life, and that, I’m sure, is going to stand them in good stead,” Bond said.