The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been telegraphing and discussing their move to Windsor for nearly a full year. The Daily Mail and the Sun have gotten almost all of the major stories about the move, with sources close to the Cambridges throwing out various theories about which palace, mansion, fort or castle would suit the family best. I have a theory that these stories are basically William and Kate publicly appealing to Prince Charles and the Queen to “give” them some palatial space as a gift. What’s fascinating is that… Charles and the Queen haven’t given in. I think William and Kate have been told “no” on kicking the Westons out of Fort Belvedere and kicking Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge. I also think Will and Kate were told “hell no” on moving into Frogmore House too. So now the theory is that the Cambridges are asking for a smaller property:

William and Kate are favouring a move to a cottage ten minutes’ walk from the Queen in their bid to find a family home in Windsor. Royal insiders say that the Cambridges wants be in a new home by the summer. It is understood Adelaide Cottage, which has recently been refurbished and has been used as a “grace and favour” residence for royal friends for 60 years, is their first choice.

The Duke and Duchess are considering moving to Windsor so that they can send their children — George, eight, Charlotte, seven, and Louis, four — to school there together. They recently spent a Sunday afternoon looking around Frogmore House, which is used for royal functions. But it is thought the Grade I listed mansion would take too much money to turn into a family home. Instead, Adelaide Cottage, built in 1831, is favourite.

An insider said: “Finding a way to make Adelaide Cottage work seems to be the best and only option. There are issues with all the other houses, so Adelaide will be the favourite.”

It is owned by the Queen but been a “grace and favour” property since 1941 and was home to Princess Margaret’s lover, Group Captain Peter Townsend, from 1944 to 1952.

It is thought Prince Andrew is unwilling to leave 31-room Royal Lodge, which he shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, for William and Kate.

The Sun also understands they have been looking to purchase a private property in the Home Counties, possibly nearer to Kate’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton, who live at Bucklebury, Berks. A spokesman for Kate and William did not want to comment.

[From The Sun]

Adelaide Cottage was briefly rumored to be the place where Harry and Meghan would land after they moved out of London, circa 2018-19. Instead, they were given that dilapidated servant’s quarters, Frogmore Cottage. From what I can tell, Adelaide Cottage is more “family home” than palace – there are likely some grand entrance rooms but the rest of the house is probably pretty average.

There’s another theory going around – which I find very interesting – that this Windsor “move” is mostly just for Kate. As in, Kate and the kids will move into whatever home in Windsor, and that will be William and Kate’s separate living situation. William will stay at Kensington Palace and maybe even keep Anmer Hall for turnip assignations (although the Cambridges are reportedly considering giving up Anmer Hall, I don’t actually believe they will). I also think that “the home is for Kate to live with the kids, away from William” likely explains why Charles and the Queen refuse to give the Cambridges some of the grander properties in Windsor. They don’t want Kate refusing to leave some huge palace when the Cambridge marriage falls apart.