Prince William and Princess Kate are preparing to move into Forest Lodge on the Windsor Great Park estate later this year, three years after relocating to Adelaide Cottage. The property, originally known as Holly Grove, was built in the 1770s and has been the subject of historical renovation plans that were never realised.
According to the Royal Collection Trust, a pencil and ink drawing by landscape designer Humphrey Repton shows an elaborate design for the house featuring Chinese and Indian architectural motifs. The plans, described as 'highly ornamental,' were never carried out. Repton's designs for Holly Grove included elements inspired by the 'chinoiserie' style, fashionable at the time and exemplified by the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.
The rejected blueprints were commissioned by Lady Jennings Clerke, who bought the property in 1792. The drawing is inscribed with 'Mrs Jenning's Windsor Park' and 'by Nash' on the reverse. The building is now known as Forest Lodge.
The move is seen as a practical upsize for the Wales family, from a four-bedroom home to an eight-bedroom property. Kensington Palace confirmed the relocation with a brief statement: 'The Wales family will move house later this year.' Royal correspondent Danielle Stacey of HELLO! magazine noted that the family values their current life in Windsor, with the children settled at Lambrook School, and the move allows for more space without being within a palace.
