Prince William, Kate Middleton To Possibly Move in Queen Elizabeth's Forgotten Castle? Here's Why

By Kate Hill

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend 'Rippa Rugby' in the Forstyth Barr Stadium on day 7 of a Royal Tour to New Zealand on April 13, 2014 in Dunedin, New Zealand. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are on a three-week tour of Australia and New Zealand, the first official trip overseas with their son, Prince George of Cambridge.

There has been speculations believing that Prince William and Kate Middleton will possibly move out of their current home in Anmer and into Queen Elizabeth's forgotten Windsor castle.

One report stated that the royal residence has never been permanently lived in, even by its owner, the Queen herself, and is situated on the Windsor estate. According to Mirror, her majesty has "access to a vast property portfolio" filled with homes all around England. Due to the ongoing pandemic, she spends much of her time in Windsor Castle, including her Christmas and New Year holidays.

The publication also mentioned that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had gotten their eyes on the specific house located in the estate recently, one that Her Majesty had reportedly "earmarked" for her grandson and his wife in previous years.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's New Home

The Fort Belvedere residence is located on the royal estate in Windsor Great Park and was built for Prince William Augustus between 1750 and 1755. It is described as having a "Gothic Revival" architectural design and is fondly called "The Fort" by several royal family members.

Based on an article published by MyLondon, The Fort was redeveloped by King George IV, who hugely expanded the castle with his decision to add an octagonal dining room, a three-story annex, and a large flag pole.

Although Fort Belvedere has never had a permanent householder, it was not unfamiliar to guests and temporary residents as Queen Victoria used it as a tea house and even opened it to the public for visitations in the 1860s.

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In 1929, Prince Edward, who later became Edward VIII, also took up space in the castle and made changes to the architecture. These include additional bathrooms, steam rooms, showers, built-in cupboards, and central heating, which had cost him a "vast amount of money," according to the source mentioned.

Wallis Simpson had also moved into The Fort in 1936 but quickly left after Prince Edward announced his intention to abdicate from the throne that same year.

Queen Elizabeth's Fort Belvedere

The royal castle was left unoccupied for 19 years before Queen Elizabeth's cousin, Gerald Lascelles, made it his home until 1976. It was once again sold and leased to Galen Weston, a Canadian billionaire who up until this day remains in The Fort.

An inside source relayed to the Daily Mail that "Anmar Hall made sense while William was a helicopter pilot in East Anglia and it was useful for Christmases at Sandringham, but it doesn't really work anymore."

There have been no official announcements whether Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children will take up residence in the Windsor estate. However, earlier reports claimed that the Cambridges would be leaving their home and moving nearer to the Queen due to the current circumstances.