Kate Middleton And Prince William's New Royal Mansion Is Wrecking Their Unblemished Reputation

Prince William and Princess Catherine are the two most popular royals, with the Princess of Wales frequently topping the charts. Sure, not everyone is a fan of Kate Middleton. Amid the highly publicized Meghan Markle and Kate feud, supporters of Prince Harry's wife have nothing positive to say about her sister-in-law. But for the most part, William and Kate's reputation has remained unblemished. However, their latest change of address put a dent in it. That's because families had to move with little to no notice in the name of the royals' privacy.

The couple announced their plan to move to an eight-bedroom mansion in Forest Lodge in late 2025. The decision was spurred by a desire to start anew after Kate's tragic cancer journey. They weren't moving far, though. "Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times," a source told The Sun. William and Kate are reportedly footing the bill for the move, rent, and the renovations instead of using public funds.

They also plan to have no staff living with them. Those plans drew praise from the public, who used the opportunity to criticize Meghan and Harry over the taxpayer-funded renovations they did at Frogmore Cottage after they tied the knot. While certainly admirable, they weren't enough to keep controversy entirely at bay ahead of their move. The fact that two families had to uproot their lives to accommodate the royals didn't go unnoticed. 

When Prince William and Kate Middleton settled on the Forest Lodge mansion to be their "forever home," two families who lived in nearby cottages were told to leave. The families had been renting the cottages, which had once been stables at Forest Lodge, from the Crown State. They were reportedly "surprised" by the order but were offered similar accommodations in the Great Park area. "I guess they were given somewhere else, but they were told they had to move. They were not expecting it," a source told the Daily Mail.

The justification for the move centered around the proximity of the two cottages to the main house. "Those houses are very close to the lodge, so they're not going to want any Tom, Dick or Harry living in those houses if there are going to be royals there," the insider added. Privacy is seemingly a concern in the new location. Even some of their future neighbors are concerned for the royals.

"It's a less private spot than their previous home — from what I know about the location. So I'd hate for people to always be going past and saying, 'Oh, that's where they live.' They have young children after all," 87-year-old Jean Reeves told the Daily Mail in a separate report. Kate and William's presence will certainly also affect the privacy of local residents, but many aren't overly concerned. After all, the couple is well-liked all around. "It'll be nice to have some nice neighbors," 57-year-old Steven Scorgie said.