As part of a newly aired BBC documentary, Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers, on the life and works of Prince Philip, his grandson, Prince William, has opened up about where he – and his wife, Kate Middleton, and children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – most feel at home.
The Cambridges currently divide their time between two residencies, one in London (Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace) and the other being Anmer Hall in Norfolk, a Georgian country house, but it sounds as though for William, there's a clear favourite.
After retiring back in 2017, Prince Philip spent the last years of his life at Wood Farm on the Sandringham Estate, just a five minute drive from Anmer Hall. It's from there that Prince William shares his and Kate's love for the countryside – and it's all down to his grandfather. (The footage was filmed prior to Philip's sad passing earlier this year, hence why William is speaking in present tense)
"Sandringham has always been a really, really important part of his life," the Duke of Cambridge explains. "He was tasked with being the warden, managing the estate from 1952. I think for him, being up here, was an escape. He likes the fact that he's been able to have an impact here… He's planted over 40 kilometres of hedge land, 45 woods, over two million trees. These things really matter to the makeup of the surrounding area."
Then, after praising Philip for always wanting to get stuck in himself, Prince William said Norfolk was the area that he and his family most wanted to be in. "For me, coming here and now living here, everything that he's done has led up to Catherine and I feeling that this is a part of the country we want to be in. We love this area, it feels like home, and that's because of what he's created."
Throughout lockdown, the Cambridges spent months in Anmer Hall, while homeschooling and working remotely via Zoom (sounds familiar?), and most recently there have been reports circulating that the couple are looking to move out of London – despite it being where Prince George and Princess Charlotte study at St Thomas's Prep School in Battersea. Anmer Hall would likely still be the favourite choice for the couple during the summer holidays and other breaks during term time.
Speaking to OK!, royal insider Katie Nicholl said: "Neither William or Kate have ever been London people and have never enjoyed the chaos of the city. Whilst their home at Kensington Palace is highly secure, they have often felt overlooked and that they lacked privacy. The older their children get, the more apparent this has become."
"They love being at Anmer," Nicholl said, "But they need a base that is close to the capital so they can easily return for public engagements and events. Windsor seems like the ideal situation."
The expert then revealed another factor in the Cambridge's decision to leave London: the hectic school run.
She continued, "Both William and Kate are very hands on with the school runs. Every morning and afternoon they try to do it themselves if they can. And whilst it may seem like a short drive, they have both found traffic to be a huge factor. Sometimes it can take an hour to get the kids to school and make their way back and that’s a long time out of their day."
The couple have apparently already been "eyeing up" properties in Windsor, following the Queen's decision to make Windsor Castle her permanent residence.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
