NoThey haven’t finished opening all the boxes and unpacking yet, and the furniture hasn’t all arrived yet. And after having already changed doors, windows and floors, the workers are preparing to make other structural changes. William and Kate have moved in recent days, with very clear ideas about what will be the style shades of their new Royal home in Windsor: that Forest Lodge which, built over three centuries ago, had remained empty for decades and which will remain their official residence even when they are king and queen.
William and Kate struggling with the furnishings of Forest Lodge
Located just five kilometers from Windsor Castle, the Forest Lodge – Georgian style – is much larger thanAdelaide Cottage which the princes of Wales have just left behind. The number of bedrooms has doubled – now there are eight. And in addition there are six bathrooms, large lounges, offices and miscellaneous drawing room, the typical aristocratic lounges, with marble fireplaces and vaulted ceilings. A furnishing job entrusted to a team of interior designer very trustworthy.
Kate Middleton personally follows the work
Neutral and calm colours, for a style that is both classic and contemporary. A solution that combines the comfort of large sofas and armchairs filled with soft cushions, with the sophisticated aesthetics of walls covered with masterpieces of art and floors hidden by precious Persian carpets – all borrowed from Royal Collection of King Charles. Kate has been personally following the work for months and the first thing, last summer, she went to the offices of Marina Millan English family-run business, specializing in high-quality – and high-cost – fabrics made entirely by hand. Its craftsmen are regulars in Royal residences, having already contributed to the furnishings of Buckingham Palace and Sandringham.
Forest Lodge, Windsor (Getty Images)
William and Kate prepare for family dinners with a 24-seater table
Many books and framed photos will adorn the coffee tables in the living rooms and the bookcases of William and Kate’s two offices. Plants and flower pots will complete a look designed in the name of their love for nature, also reflected in the furniture which, unlike the dark ones purchased for Kensington Palacethey will now be a more natural color. Like the huge 24-seater table, personally purchased by Kate at a local antique shop. Perfect for those special occasions when the Middleton clan, including parents, sister Pippa and brother James will gather to Forest Lodge with their families.
The works at Forest Lodge they are not finished yet
William and Kate will pay monthly rent to the Crown, which remains the owner of the property. They are also privately financing the entire renovation, including the furnishings. And after having changed doors, windows, floors and had them painted all the rooms, including the three intended for George, Charlotte and Louisthe princes are now finalizing plans with an architect for some major structural changes, to be carried out in the coming months. Starting with the kitchen.
The entrance to Forest Lodge in Windsor (Getty Images)
The kitchen, the most precious space for the princes of Wales
Wales have always given particular importance to kitchen as a meeting point for the whole familyincluding visitors. For this reason they had modified and even moved it to all their previous residences. How to Kensington Palacewhere they had insisted on having a second one built, larger than the original one, intended for private use (in the evening, in fact, when the nanny and assistants go away, the princes like to cook for themselves).
Scaffolding at Forest Lodge during construction in 2001 (Getty Images)
A new kitchen that is always messy
To Anmer Halltheirs country residence near Sandringham, and then inAdelaide Cottage of Windsor, the princes had the kitchen moved to a more central point, so that it became the hub of the home. The walls and the refrigerator were covered in children’s drawings and the surfaces were not necessarily clean and tidy: William and Kate encouraged their children to help prepare meals.
A habit that annoyed Queen Elizabeth
The new provision, however, had irritated Queen Elizabeth, who considered it an unnecessary and decidedly un-Royal solution. After all, at the palace the sovereign never set foot in the kitchen, limiting herself to communicating with chef Mark Flanagan only through a booklet in which he suggested the daily menus.
However, at William and Kate’s home, visitors are immediately welcomed into their cluttered kitchen, not a stately living room. Even if it was the queen’s grandmother. And when Elizabeth surprised her nephew with an almost always unannounced visit, she was forced to sit with a certain reluctance at the table next to the stove.