Why Princess Kate and Prince William Want to "Renovate" an "Abandoned" Part of Their Home, Adelaide Cottage

"I think they surprised a lot of people when they moved there," a royal expert explained.

Prince William wears a suit and Kate Middleton wears a burgundy coat with matching hat
(Image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Kate Middleton and Prince William moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in 2022, which was a huge change for their children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Despite having grown up in a literal palace, Prince William appears to have been quite content moving to a much smaller property with his family. Now, it's being reported that Kate and William have plans to "renovate" an "abandoned" part of their home.

Originally built in 1831, Adelaide Cottage has reportedly been renovated internally to make it perfect for the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children. As reported by Hello! magazine, the property includes "a separate 'abandoned' [building], which was previously 'inhabitable.'" Kate and William allegedly have "their hearts set on renovating the building to create an annexe-style property for extra space, though the specifics behind the project are not known."

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis holding hands with Princess Kate and Prince William and wearing school uniforms walking to school

Kate and William moved their children out of London in 2022.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In 2023, Page Six reported that, according to a source, Princess Kate and Prince William were "extremely happy" living in Adelaide Cottage. The home, which is seriously "modest" and perhaps "too small" by Royal Family standards, has only four bedrooms, and no live-in staff.

It was previously reported that Kate and William moved their family to Windsor so as to be closer to Queen Elizabeth II in her "final months." In Nov. 2024, royal expert Duncan Larcombe told OK! magazine, "I think they surprised a lot of people when they moved there." He continued, "There are plenty of other places they could have moved to, but Adelaide Cottage fits with their desire as parents to be a normal family, where there aren't servants and they don't have 30 rooms."

Prince William, Prince Louis, Prince George, Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte wearing navy and green coats and ties for Christmas Day standing in front of church steps surrounded by other members of the Royal Family

"Adelaide Cottage fits with their desire as parents to be a normal family."

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Of Kate and William's alleged plans to renovate their home, a source previously told the Express, "Nobody knows that there is quite a spacious red-brick annexe building that's not being used next door to Adelaide Cottage." The source continued, "It's currently uninhabitable and needs extensive renovation works if it were to be used. Discussions have been ongoing for a while about using the property as part of the overall cottage grounds, but it's just about finding the right time to kick the project off."

Amy Mackelden
Weekend Editor

Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.