Prince William has made a hilarious confession about living at his father's Highgrove home, revealing that he often had to dive to the floor after opening his curtains because members of the public could see straight into his bedroom window.
The Prince of Wales guest-edited the November 2026 issue of Country Life, where he discussed topics including the benefits of the great outdoors and his insight into growing up in the royal spotlight.
Living in a Public Garden
While Highgrove House itself is closed to the public as the monarch's private home, the gardens around the house are a tourist attraction, meaning members of the public are allowed to visit. This led to William's amusing admission about his time staying at King Charles's private home in Gloucestershire.
William said: "Living in a private house that was surrounded by a working public garden, which was constantly being developed and nurtured by my father – as well as being open to members of the public and therefore pretty busy – could be quite difficult."
He continued: "I remember several times when I would wake up, open the curtains and have to hit the floor and hurriedly close them, because I was not fully dressed and there were people outside who could see straight into my bedroom window!"
Club H Hideout
This is not the first time William has recalled growing up at Highgrove. His estranged brother Prince Harry also spoke about the family's time at the home, revealing in his 2023 memoir Spare that the brothers converted an underground bomb shelter in the basement of Highgrove House into a secret bar called Club H.
Harry wrote: "I hid in the basement beneath Highgrove, usually with Willy. We called it Club H. Many assumed the H stood for Harry, but in fact it stood for Highgrove. Club H was the perfect hideout for a teenager. When I wanted solitude, what better than a bomb shelter in the middle of the British countryside? Willy felt the same. I often thought he seemed more at peace down there than anywhere else on earth."
King Charles still spends plenty of time at Highgrove, including on weekends and when he wants time away from the royal spotlight.
