It appears a moving day might soon be in store for Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are reportedly set to relocate near Windsor Castle this summer, in order to be closer to the Queen.
The royal couple divide their time between Kensington Palace in London and Anmer Hall in Norfolk. But a move to Windsor Castle — where Her Majesty relocated permanently in the early days of the pandemic — would allow them to be closer to the now-hub of royal activity, support the aging Queen and expand their roles as working senior members of the royal family, reports Vogue.
Vogue also reports that the couple are interested in living a more rural-based life, closer to nature and to other family members. Princess Eugenie and Prince Edward, along with their spouses, live nearby, as do Kate’s parents, Carole and Michael Middleton.
Marie Claire magazine reports that the Duchess has been spotted in communities around Windsor, believed to be scouting potential schools for Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
The Independent also reports that the couple are set on doing things a bit differently from what other senior royals have done in the past. Prince William, who has a household staff of just under 40 people at the moment, has expressed a desire for an even smaller team when he becomes the Prince of Wales.
According to the publication, his father Charles has well over 100 staff in his household to support his engagements and his work with various organizations.
William and Kate are undergoing a public reckoning of sorts. Their recent Caribbean tour was heavily criticized, as locals in Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas protested the couple’s presence and the role of the royal family in perpetuating and upholding colonialism.
During their time in Jamaica, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told William and Kate the country plans to annex from the Commonwealth and become a fully independent republic.
In a first for him, Prince William acknowledged his family’s role in upholding years of slavery and colonialism and expressed his “profound sorrow” at how slavery has affected the Caribbean nations they visited.
While speaking at a dinner hosted by the governor general of Jamaica, Prince William said slavery “should have never happened” and “stains our history.”