Cambridge Residences: Kensington Palace, Adelaide Cottage & Anmer Hall


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Shadows of a Princess by Patrick Jephson is where Diana was told to pay for KP if she quit her charities.

The attempts of a disgruntled former employee to cash in on the Diana mania is hardly a credible source.

The cost of a home at that stage would have been no worry to Diana as Charles was funding her lifestyle entirely, unlike after their divorce when she had a set amount of money.

Yes, William & Kate were given an option of housing.
A spokesman for the couple confirmed that Princess Margaret's former home is 'one of the options' being considered for their London home.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018127/William-Kate-starter-home-Kensington-Palace-grounds.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8556640/Prince-William-and-Kate-to-move-into-Dianas-former-home.html

Yes of course they had choices, but we are not aware of what the full range of choices available to them were and if they went for the largest of the options available to them.
 
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Where did you get this information from? CH must be a lot more than 16,000 sq ft.

From a ground floor plan of Clarence House which includes the rooms & the sizes of the rooms.

Clarence House is not large by royal standards.

There are 3 rooms that face the Mall: The Garden room, the Lancaster room and the Morning room plus the main hall. (The width of the building.)

There are 3 rooms on Stable Yard road: The Morning room, the Library and the Dining Room. (The length of the building.)

Multiple the length & the width.
Subtract the large "L" shaped open area in the center of the building.
 
Well, they might need the space. Maybe they want 20 kids like the Duggars. Kate can do up that tater tot casserole and the older princesses can mind the little ones.

Might be nice if their names all start with "G"... Gracie has a nice ring to it. :p
Georgia, Gianna, Gephro, Gerald, Gypsy, Ginger, Gianni, Giacomo, Guy, Gavin, Gregory, Gregor, :p

Katherine Kent can walk on over and start everyone on the violin and piano.
 
Georgia, Gianna, Gephro, Gerald, Gypsy, Ginger, Gianni, Giacomo, Guy, Gavin, Gregory, Gregor, :p

Katherine Kent can walk on over and start everyone on the violin and piano.

Oh gawd, 20 violins out of key....:eek:

Don't forget Giddyup - after all, they are Windsors, you know.
 
HHHMMMM that could be an issue with the other residents who don't care for their NEIGH-bors. (bad pun intended)
 
KP Apt 1A did not need work done.

It was remodeled to suit William & Kate. It was outdated but functional. The asbestos was removed because new wiring exposed the asbestos. The new wiring was for new technology and not because it was a fire hazard.

The Queen put William ahead of herself. William put himself above the Queen.

End of story...
 
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Ino longer understand the criticism of William and the renos at KP. It is their London home which means they will be living there. Why are some acting like they spent all the money on renovations, walked in looked around for 5 min and then decided to ditch the place ?
 
For the defense of William... I have been at Kensington Palace and from what I saw it was in dire need of a good renovation. It looked worn out, cheap in redecoration here and there, the technical installations and sanitary looked very oldfashioned too. I can vividly imagine and understand the money spent on Kensington Palace, it was really needed...
 
For the defense of William... I have been at Kensington Palace and from what I saw it was in dire need of a good renovation. It looked worn out, cheap in redecoration here and there, the technical installations and sanitary looked very oldfashioned too. I can vividly imagine and understand the money spent on Kensington Palace, it was really needed...

I think so too. The work that was done will ensure that the building will be around for a good while longer. Upkeep on a structure is something that always needs done as time passes. Same with the roof and whatever else was repaired to the building of Anmer Hall.

What usually isn't printed is the fact that the private monies that William and Kate have put into the redecorating of their apartment at KP and Anmer Hall was spent on properties that they do not own. William eventually will come into the ownership of Sandringham but will never outright own Apt 1A. Most likely the next occupants of these residences will want to redecorate according to their own taste but the work being done to the structures is to ensure they'll have a building to actually redecorate. :)
 
KP Apt 1A did not need work done.

It was remodeled to suit William & Kate. It was outdated but functional. The asbestos was removed because new wiring exposed the asbestos. The new wiring was for new technology and not because it was a fire hazard.

The Queen put William ahead of herself. William put himself above the Queen.

End of story...


Does anyone seriously expect a couple with a new baby to live in an apartment containing asbestos and old wiring - both of which had to be updated ANYWAY as it was just a matter of time before they became "urgent"?

If work is already going on at BP and Windsor, what's the problem with settling KP on W and C now?

Oh, I remember - it was YOUR expectation that it signaled that William was going to be full time. Now that that hasn't happened, your disappointment causes you to blame William for disrespecting his grandmother, the Queen.

From where I stand, this is all a made up tempest in your very own teapot. We can guess, conjecture and speculate all we want, but IT'S NOT UP TO US. William and Catherine don't go off doing their own thing, and we should stop making it seem like the Queen was disrespected since there's no indication that she feels that way at all.


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Blaming the Queen.

BP & Windsor need repairs.
William wanted a larger London home.
William wanted to join the medievac and left his London townhome.
Blame his grandmother.

Repairs to BP and Windsor castle are ongoing. In 2013-2014 alone, £800,000 was paid to remove asbestos from the basement of Buckingham Palace and a further £900,000 for the removal of lead roofing from Windsor Castle.

Despite these costs, the Royal Household were under budget this year by £400,000 from the allocated amount – this surplus will be put into the reserve fund for use in future if needed.

Apartment 1a is over and done with and will be the official residence and London home to the Cambridges for years to come.
 
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KP Apt 1A did not need work done.

It was remodeled to suit William & Kate. It was outdated but functional. The asbestos was removed because new wiring exposed the asbestos. The new wiring was for new technology and not because it was a fire hazard.

The Queen put William ahead of herself. William put himself above the Queen.

End of story...


Just when I think I've seen it all around here, someone goes and proves me wrong...




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KP Apt 1A did not need work done.

It was remodeled to suit William & Kate. It was outdated but functional. The asbestos was removed because new wiring exposed the asbestos. The new wiring was for new technology and not because it was a fire hazard.

The Queen put William ahead of herself. William put himself above the Queen.

End of story...

I agree. A good thing his new wage is going to the charity. No way it will make up for his expenditure though.
 
Anyone who owns a house, especially an old one, will recognize the never-ending need for maintenance. Now we are talking about centuries old Grade 1-listed buildings...
 
KP Apt 1A did not need work done.

It was remodeled to suit William & Kate. It was outdated but functional. The asbestos was removed because new wiring exposed the asbestos. The new wiring was for new technology and not because it was a fire hazard.

The Queen put William ahead of herself. William put himself above the Queen.

End of story...
Ah, not exactly. There is an article quoted somewhere on this thread that refers to the fact that when the last upgrade/renovation happened it was for Princess Margaret and while it was painted really trendy colours (thank heavens that's easily fixed) the light fittings and switches were both trendy and a little bit dodgey, which you could get away with then. Oh good, found another one!

It's interesting to see that there was as much media pontificating then as now. Quote from "A Right Royal Starter Home" refers to "when Lord Snowdon was later advised that an electric socket he’d ordered for his bathroom was ‘extremely dangerous’, the warning was brushed aside".

Read more: Behind the doors at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's apartment at Kensington Palace | Mail Online

I would think that a house wired in the early 1960's, with the best wiring money could buy, would still come up short against the needs of today. How many phones did they have in the early 60's, how many lamps, computers, sound systems, microwaves, televisions, etc. A normal family's requirements would have overloaded that lot. And we're not even counting the electronic security systems . . .

So basically, the wiring wasn't just for new technology but for a new age.

I am sure that over the next few years we will see exactly how much time the Cambridges spend there and then moan if necessary.
 
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Current
- Bagshot Park
- Balmoral Castle (Scotland)
- Barnwell
- Birkhall (Balmoral Estate)
- Buckingham Palace
- Clarence House
- Edinburgh Castle (Scotland)
- Gatcombe Park
- Highgrove
- Hillsborough Castle (Northern Ireland)
- Holyroodhouse(Scotland)
- Kensington Palace
- Llwynywermod (Wales)
- Royal Lodge (Windsor)
- Sandringham House
- St. James's Palace
- Thatched House Lodge
- Windsor Castle

Historical
- Palace of Beaulieu
- Beaumont Palace
- Bridewell Palace
- Brantridge Park
- Caernarvon Castle (Wales)
- Carlton House
- Coppins
- Coombe Abbey
- Cumberland Lodge (Windsor)
- Dunfermline Palace (Scotland)
- Eltham Palace
- Falkland Palace (Scotland)
- Fort Belvedere (Windsor)
- Hampton Court Palace
- Hatfield House
- Hever Castle
- Kew Palace
- Kings Langley
- Leeds Castle
- Linlithgow Palace (Scotland)
- Marlborough House
- Castle of Mey (Scotland)
- Nonsuch Palace
- Oatlands Palace
- Osborne House (Isle of Wight)
- Palace of Placentia (Greenwich)
- Queen's House (Greenwich)
- Ribsden Holt
- Richmond Palace
- Royal Pavilion (Brighton)
- Savoy Palace
- Stirling castle (Scotland)
- Sunninghill Park
- Tower of London
- Palace of Westminster
- Palace of Whitehall
- White Lodge (Richmond)
- Woodstock Palace
- York Cottage (Sandringham)

Other
- Royal Mausoleum (Frogmore, Windsor)
- St George's Chapel (Windsor)
- Westminster Abbey

Commonwealth

Australia
- Yarralumla, Canberra (Governor-General)
- Admiralty House, Sydney (Governor-General)
- Government House, Sydney
- Government House, Melbourne
- Government House, Brisbane
- Government House, Adelaide
- Government House, Perth
- Government House, Hobart

Canada
- Rideau Hall, Ottawa (Governor-General)
- Government House, St John’s, Newfoundland (for Newfoundland and Labrador)
- Government House, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Government House, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- Government House, Fredericton, New Brunswick
- Government House, Quebec City, Quebec
- Government House, Toronto, Ontario
- Government House, Winnipeg, Manitoba
- Government House, Calgary, Alberta
- Government House, Regina, Saskatchewan
- Government House, Victoria, British Columbia
- Commissioner's Residence, Whitehorse, Yukon
- Commissioner's Residence, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
- Commissioner's Residence, Iqaluit, Nunavut

New Zealand
- Government House, Wellington
- Government House, Auckland



This is an amazing list :p what I would give to "own" some of these ..
 
This is exactly why people are disappointed with William and Catherine.
The KP townhome (Apt 1A) befits a full time royal.

Nottingham Cottage is ample enough for William, Kate & George as part time royals.

At age 18, William was given a 3 bedroom cottage on the Balmoral estate.
None of the Queen's children nor grandchildren except William received separate accommodations at Balmoral.

The 3 bedroom cottage is rumored to be considered too small by William who wants a larger piece of property at Balmoral.

Anmer House was vacated so William and Catherine can have a private residence on the Sandringham estate. Again no other member of the family, not even Prince Charles, received separate housing on the Sandringham estate.

The remodeling of several large houses for part time royals does not sit well with most people especially those who work for living.

William's need for his own space while not paying for them also does not sit well with most people.


Oh yes , this I have noticed , Prince William is the only one who gets the privilege of picking any home he chooses anywhere he wants and at any time, he is coming off as spoilt atm . Not even charles was given this much freedom , hold on .....not even the queens own children were given so much leeway as william and kate get in regards to their homes and lifestyle.
 
£4,000,000 was spent to renovate Apartment A1.
This does not include £1,500,000 to decorate it.

£800,000 was spent to renovated Buckingham Palace.

£900,000 was spent to renovate Windsor Castle.
 
Oh yes , this I have noticed , Prince William is the only one who gets the privilege of picking any home he chooses anywhere he wants and at any time, he is coming off as spoilt atm . Not even charles was given this much freedom , hold on .....not even the queens own children were given so much leeway as william and kate get in regards to their homes and lifestyle.


Always did love Fantasy Tales at Bedtime...


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£4,000,000 was spent to renovate Apartment A1.
This does not include £1,500,000 to decorate it.

£800,000 was spent to renovated Buckingham Palace.

£900,000 was spent to renovate Windsor Castle.


And!?!


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Oh yes , this I have noticed , Prince William is the only one who gets the privilege of picking any home he chooses anywhere he wants and at any time, he is coming off as spoilt atm . Not even charles was given this much freedom , hold on .....not even the queens own children were given so much leeway as william and kate get in regards to their homes and lifestyle.

What are you on about? Charles, Andrew, Edward were all given potential choices in relation to their homes. How does it bother us if the Queen chooses to give William a home on the Sandringham estate? It is her privately owned and she can do pretty much what she wants. In addition to the apartment at KP, Charles had the Duchy purchase Highgrove for him. Andrew's purchase and development of Sunninghill was funded by HM. He was subsequently provided with Royal Lodge. Edward got Bagshot. Gatcombe was bought for Anne.

As regards the cottage at Birkhall / Balmoral, it was given to William by QEQM when he was studying at St Andrews. I have not read about William seeking a larger property on the Balmoral estate, but even if he did, I suspect the family has outgrown the cottage a student William needed. How the RF allocate privately owned properties really ought not to bother us, unless we have specifically decided that we want to criticise!
 
Sorry but the article doesn't state the entire wiring was dangerous.

"when Lord Snowdon was later advised that an electric socket he’d ordered for his bathroom was ‘extremely dangerous’, the warning was brushed aside".

So basically, the wiring wasn't just for new technology but for a new age.

I am sure that over the next few years we will see exactly how much time the Cambridges spend there and then moan if necessary.

Lord Snowdon studied architecture. The work was mostly done by contractors. The article only states the socket in his bathroom not all the wiring was dangerous. The socket is easily replaced and was probably later replaced. You do not need to tear the wall to replace the socket.

The charity used Apartment 1A and it held public events. If it was dangerous, then the public would not have been allowed into the building.

The rewiring was for modern technology.
 
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I've yet to see a grandparent that didn't want to do extras for their grandchildren. Don't care if it's a queen or a bricklayer. No telling what the Queen has done for all her grandchildren that we simply don't know about because the press doesn't know or it's not something highly visible like a property.

Past that most all of it's all going to be William's someday anyway. Who cares if he gets is now or in 40 years?


LaRae
 
Sorry but the article doesn't state the entire wiring was dangerous.



Lord Snowdon studied architecture. The work was mostly done by contractors. The article only states the socket in his bathroom not all the wiring was dangerous. The socket is easily replaced and was probably later replaced. You do not need to tear the wall to replace the socket.

The charity used Apartment 1A and it held public events. If it was dangerous, then the public would not have been allowed into the building.

The rewiring was for modern technology.

Just so that there is complete clarity, might you actually be suggesting that an apartment last refurbished c50 years ago does not need to have extensive work done to it?
 

The roof of Windsor only cost £900,000.
The asbestos removal in BP cost £800,000.

Apartment 1A is only a portion of the KP and it cost £4,500,000.

Why did it cost so much more to fix a section of Kensington Palace?

How much repairs could have been completed on Buckingham Palace or Windsor if that money had been used on them rather on an now mostly abandoned townhome.
 
BP was last remodeled in 1948/49.

Apartment 1A was remodeled 1963 and we do not know if Margaret or Lord Snowdon had any addition upgrades.
 
Non Uk residents who dont understand British Standards used for building, electrical and gas installations/maintenance

since 1960s there are now higher and safer standards with regards to building works (I know this from personal experience) electricity and gas within private residences. Rewiring isa particular problem because of fire risk.

Forward looking people would think that if renovations are required for a building then you would future - proof. This would be to reduce to need to upgrade within 15-20 yrs. Boy, would we all be hacked off if further work was needed within that time.

Asbestos has to be removed, especially if it is damaged because of the dust that is created.

Kensington Palace also houses the Cambridges team. whereas we might have preferred William and Catherine to continue to use carrier pigeon, the media team needs to use modern technology; for all we know they might need to be on a network to link with other teams at BP and CH. Emphasis on WE dont know.

So the building is safer; reduction of future risks; future proofing (IMO); meets requirements for comms team. That makes sense to me.

If Historic Royal Palaces had undertaken their full responsibilities a large amount of this work would have been done yrs ago. The reason that it was no longer being used for offices highlights the fact that it wasn't up to scratch.

These 2 have been accused of extravagance. They have never struck me as extravagant people, esp Catherine. None of the infrastructure building works is down to them. This would have been determine by experts including those responsible for the building.

as for the internal works, the source of these stories is the DM, picked up and copied by many outlets. none of us know if any of it is true.
 
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The roof of Windsor only cost £900,000.
The asbestos removal in BP cost £800,000.

Apartment 1A is only a portion of the KP and it cost £4,500,000.

Why did it cost so much more to fix a section of Kensington Palace?

How much repairs could have been completed on Buckingham Palace or Windsor if that money had been used on them rather on an now mostly abandoned townhome.

> Was £900k spent to replace the entire roof at Windsor? Not sure where you get your information from and how accurate it is, but I highly doubt that for £900k you can replace the entire roof at Windsor.

> We have no idea how much asbestos was removed from BP relative to KP. also, BP may have had bits of asbestos removed over the years.

> The Queen decide where the repairs and renewals budget is spent. Criticise her judgement if you would like to.

> "Abandoned townhome": Where did you work that up from? KP continues to be the Cambridhe's London home. It will continue to be used for a long time, potentially till William becomes King. I suspect they will use it 2-3 times a month even when based at Anmer.
 
One thing we have to keep in mind too is that William and Kate were not given the homes. They were given the use of the homes.
 
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