Wales Residences: Kensington Palace, Adelaide Cottage & Anmer Hall


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I was also thinking that in the future, having their own large home on the Sandringham estate will probably make the logistics of having Kate's family to visit much easier.

My thought was that this will really work out nicely come the Christmas holidays. If all the Middletons were to come to Anmer Hall, excepting for the occasions where its the Queen's family (and perhaps later on, Charles' family), they will all be in one place for the celebrations. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the Queen had the Middletons over for Boxing Day.

Once a couple produces grandchildren, all sets of grandparents tend to go ballistic wanting to see the wee ones on holidays. :D
 
Yup, that was my thought too. Kate and William can have all the Middletons to stay at Anmer Hall and spend time with them that way, and still easily join the royal family as well. Would give both families the chance to see lots of their grandchild.
 
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Yup, that was my thought too. Kate and William can have all the Middletons to stay at Anmer Hall and spend time with them that way, and still easily join the royal family as well. Would give both families the chance to see lots of their grandchild.

I wonder if teh Queen giving them Anmer was in response to William making it clear that he and Kate wouldn't always be at Sandringham to visit at Christmas and they would share it with the Middletons as well. Perhaps the Queen realized this way they can be with both families.
 
Funny how they all omit the fact that if the queen doesn't turn out to be immortal in all probability Charles won't have too wait overly long to inherit Sandringham House and Balmoral, while William probably gets Birkhall in addition to Anmer. I don't see Charles giving up Highgrove as king (and I believe Queen Camilla will keep Ray Mill House) but he may leave Highgrove to Harry one day.
 
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Highgrove is part of the Duchy of Cornwall and I imagine it will stay that way. That would mean it will go to William unless some other arrangement is made
 
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There will definitely be some major residence shifts when Charles becomes king. So many options at that point who knows how it works out. William and Kate could end up back at Clarence House, with Birkhall and Highgrove as their other homes.

I sometimes wonder if the long term plan is to give all the residences currently being prepared for William and Kate to Prince Harry and his future wife eventually, when Charles is King.
 
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Kensington Palace is William & Catherine's permanent official London residence. Don't know what will become of Clarence House once Charles is King. Some royal correspondents think Charles will keep Clarence House when he's King.

I actually think Highgrove will continue to be Charles & Camilla's country residence. He's invested a great deal into Highgrove and it's considered his baby in a way. I think the estate will pass on to William or Harry after his passing.
 
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If Charles dies before Camilla, then Clarence House would be Camilla's London residence I expect, as it was for the Queen Mother. I always thought that Highgrove would go to Harry.

I think once Charles is King, then he must be seen to live in the royal residences. ITs partof the role. He will move into Balmoral and DDoC will move into Birkhall.

I dont know how he feels about Windsor. Maybe William and Catherine will live there.
 
the last few comments have made me realize just how perfect Anmer is for their first country house to start work on, as its the one they will be able to keep for the longest. Charles as the heir doesn't have his own residence on the Sandringham Estate so their is no clear place for William and Kate to move to when Charles becomes King and they become the heirs so they will hold on to Anmer(if they want to) for the rest of the Queen's reign and Charles' reign.
Most of the other places they may have started their own home in would quiet possibly see them having to move when Charles becomes King, e.g. then having to move into Highgrove
 
Anmer Hall

Kate Middleton and Prince William's Sandringham home to have privacy protecting trees and rooms for police | Mail Online

The same link as previously posted, but here's some detail...

This is the Norfolk bolthole reportedly earmarked for parents-to-be the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, just a stone’s throw from the Queen’s own private residence at Sandringham. Royal aides have been given planning permission to begin extensive improvements at Anmer Hall.More importantly, however, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council have also given the Queen, who is the Georgian mansion’s landlord, approval to re-route its existing driveway and plant dozens of new trees and shrubs to shield it from prying eyes.

The ten-bedroom property is one of 150 situated on the monarch’s 20,000-acre Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and is only two miles east of Sandringham House, one of the Queen's favourite private residences.

The hall, which largely dates back to 1802, was used as a bolt-hole by Prince Charles and the then Camilla Parker-Bowles during their long-running affair when it was rented by the prince’s friend Hugh van Cutsem. Prince William, who is close to the van Cutsems’ children, is also said to have enjoyed many happy visits to the hall as a child. It also has something of a royal pedigree having been leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent as their country house from 1972 until 1990.

The Sandringham Estate has been owned by the Queen since her accession in 1952 and by the Royal Family since 1862. Although much of the land is open to the public, the paparazzi are no longer allowed to photograph the Royal family relaxing there, making it even more attractive to the Duke and Duchess.
 
I wonder if teh Queen giving them Anmer was in response to William making it clear that he and Kate wouldn't always be at Sandringham to visit at Christmas and they would share it with the Middletons as well. Perhaps the Queen realized this way they can be with both families.

My theory is that the family is growing, although I think Peter and his wife and children are an every other year Christmas schedule, William and Catherine will soon have 2 toddlers as well, probably and Zara's biological clock is ticking and both Beatrice and Eugenie seem to have fairly serious boyfriends - before long there could be a whole herd of rambunctious royal children running around the halls of Sandringham, plus the spouses and nannies,etc. the Queen and Phillip are late 80's/early 90's and I suspect a little bit of younger children goes a long way @ that age.
William and Catherine love the country and I think her majesty realizes that and that they need an escape for their own happiness and for their childrens' well being, so that would be IMO the primary reason for giving them Ammer and then easing Sandringham crowding @ the holidays going forward being an additional benefit.
 
Really interesting article in the Daily Mail's You magazine today about the couples Kensington Palace apartment. It focuses on the renovation work Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon had to go through but it gives some detail about the apartment itself.A few quotes:
The term ‘apartment’ is misleading. No 1A is effectively a spacious four-storey house, which forms half of the Clock Tower wing, designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary in the 17th century.

The renovation of the 57-room property, with its large south-facing walled garden, was a monumental task and, while a significant part of the eventual cost of £85,000 [approximately £1.5 million today] was to be financed from the government-run Grant in Aid and Charge to the Vote, the princess and her husband would be required to supply nearly as much again from their private income.

The main reception rooms of the apartment are on the ground floor. Here, the spinal entrance hall, facing into the inner courtyard, runs the length of the wing and leads on to the principal rooms.
Chief among these was Princess Louise’s drawing room, a substantial salon with five casement windows overlooking the garden.

Beyond this lay a smaller room and, on the other side of a broad oak staircase, a garden room where one of the three windows had been bricked up at Princess Louise’s request to prevent her husband sneaking out for secret assignations.
This generous living space was to be transformed into an imposing hallway, elegant drawing room, dainty dining room, study for Lord Snowdon, conservatory and guest cloakroom

Once complete, the house offered a substantial family home. In addition to the main reception rooms, there were three principal bedrooms and dressing rooms, three principal bathrooms, the nursery accommodation, nine staff bedrooms, four staff bathrooms, two staff kitchens and two staff sitting rooms.
Twenty ‘ancillary’ rooms included a linen store, a luggage room, a drying room, a glass pantry and a photographic dark room for Lord Snowdon.
Fortunately, a newly installed lift made life easier for all.



Read more: Behind the doors at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's apartment at Kensington Palace | Mail Online
 
Archaeological dig could delay Duke and Duchess's country move - Telegraph

This is an article from the Telegraph which talks about how there may be delays to the proposed works taking place because of archeological investigations are required by planning regs. And if they find anything, en the delay could be longer.

The bit I like is that SJP refused to comment because " we have never confirmed that they are moving there"

So funny!!
 
I agree with Harry moving into the Cambridges homes. He going to Nott Cottage after they move to apt 1a. After the queen dies, Charles will take over the residences the queen uses now (I assume Phillip has past already). The Cambridges take over Clarence House and Birkhall . Highgrove is owned by the duchy of Cornwall so it belongs to the new duke - William. This leaves the Kensington palace apt and amnar hall for Harry. It makes sense. Harry won't have the income that William will have as Duke of Cornwall. The Cambridge homes would be recently renovated so Harry doesn't have to fix them up.

Also the estate of the sovereign passes from one sovereign to another as a whole. So Charles can't leave Balmoral for example to Harry. William gets everything. George Vi had to buy back balmoral and sandringham from his brother after the abdication. The sovereign to sovereign transfer isn't taxed so the estate is maintained.
 
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Where on the Sandringham Estate does Charles stay? Because Sandringham House is for the Monarch and therefore Anmer would remain with William unless there is somewhere else.

Otherwise, agree 100%
 
Charles stays in the main house with the rest of the royals for Christmas then leaves right after for Birkhall for January in Scotland. The queen stays in Norfolk until after the accession day in February.
 
The BRF members, incuding HM and C&C, often use Wood Farm and some of the other smaller, less grand homes on the estate when they are staying there. The main house is not used for every royal visit.
 
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...Charles can't leave Balmoral for example to Harry...
Charles, or The Queen, can leave Balmoral and/or Sandringham to whomever they please as they are private property. The only thing is that the new owner would have to pay death duties on the inheritance while leaving it to the new monarch means no death duties.
 
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I actually thought it would have cost more to do that much renovation. 50 years and no updates on major things like electrical, plumbing, heating etc. Might sound crazy but all that and a roof for a million on a palace that is that old, sounds like they got a bargain.
 
I didn't think it was terribly expensive either, especially when you factor in asbestos removal and repairing damage done by the removal.
 
The 21-room Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace has been gutted under a major restoration project that is due be completed in the autumn. (evening Standard)

The couple, who are currently living in another part of Kensington Palace, will move into the 57-room property with their new baby in the autumn, after the renovation and redecoration is complete. (Telegraph)


IT is this sort of inaccuracy that drives me nuts!
 
£1 million sounds an extremely high cost - particularly as there is a £30m backlog in palace repairs elsewhere. But having said that at least the apartment is being used rather than falling into further disrepair.

When Charles becomes king, are the Cambridges likely to relocate to Clarence House or stay in their new apartment at Kensington Palace?
 
KP is a listed building. £1m for a new roof and the safe removal of asbestos and then made good (in keeping because you have to). It's a 3 or 4 story building - its a huge amount of work.

I think its not a bad price for the repairs etc. You couldn't buy anywhere with the requisite space and security in place for that money. Most cost effective option.
 
When Charles becomes king, are the Cambridges likely to relocate to Clarence House or stay in their new apartment at Kensington Palace?
Good question. A couple of other alternatives would be for Harry to use Clarence House, especially if Kate and William have KP to their liking. Or Charles could keep Clarence House as his London residence and use BP as an office only. I don't know about the size of the garden at Clarence House,but it's fairly good sized for the KP apt.
 
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It's already been officially announced that Kensington Palace will be The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's permanent official residence.

I do think its possible Clarence House could go to Prince Harry in the future. Although its been said that Harry will move into William & Catherine's current cottage, he will get married and have his own family at some point. They will need a bigger place too. Although they too could move into the main residence at Kensington Palace.
 
When Charles is king, the Cambridges and Harry could stay at Kensington Palace and either Charles stays at Clarence House and opens BP to the public year round, or Charles could move to BP which would allow Clarence House to be emptied which would reduce the number of occupied palaces. St James Palace could also be emptied if Anne and Alexandra move out. Having 2 occupied palaces in London would be much cheaper than 4: BP for the monarch and KP for everyone else.
 
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