Editor’s note — 6 November 2026: This article has been fully rewritten using only verifiable facts from reputable reporting. Earlier claims that could not be verified have been removed, including a made-up market value for Anmer Hall (a grace-and-favour Crown Estate home that has never been traded on the open market), net-worth estimates for the Princess of Wales, and an unverified “Kate Effect” figure. The number of rooms at Kensington Palace Apartment 1A has been corrected from 22 to 20, and the Chelsea flat figures have been corrected to the reported sterling amounts.
Kate Middleton House is one of the most talked-about royal properties in England — but the home most people mean is not a house Kate owns at all. Anmer Hall, the family’s beloved Norfolk retreat, is a grace-and-favour residence on the Sandringham Estate, given to William and Kate as a wedding gift by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. It is where the family spent lockdown, school holidays and quiet weekends away from royal duty — and it remains their country home even now that their main base has moved to Forest Lodge in Windsor.
From a ten-bedroom Georgian mansion in Norfolk to an eight-bedroom “forever home” in Windsor Great Park, via a four-bedroom cottage and a 20-room palace apartment, Kate’s homes tell the story of a future queen’s life in stages. This is the full, verified story of where she lives now — and where she has lived along the way.
Who Is Kate Middleton?
Catherine Elizabeth Middleton — known to the world as Kate — is the Princess of Wales and the wife of Prince William, the heir to the British throne. She was born on 9 January 1982 in Reading, Berkshire, and grew up in the village of Bucklebury, where her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, ran the party supplies business Party Pieces.
Kate met Prince William while both were studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where she read art history. They married on 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey, and she became Princess of Wales on 9 September 2022, when William was made Prince of Wales. They have three children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
In March 2024, Kate announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy. In January 2025, Kensington Palace confirmed she was in remission. Her charitable work focuses on early childhood development and children’s mental health, through the Royal Foundation and her “Shaping Us” campaign.
Where Does Kate Middleton Live Now?
Kate Middleton now lives at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire. The Prince and Princess of Wales moved there with their three children in November 2025, during the October half-term, after signing a 20-year lease on the property. It is described as their “forever home” — the family intends to stay there even after William becomes King, rather than moving into Buckingham Palace.
Their country retreat remains Anmer Hall in Norfolk, on the Sandringham Estate, which the family uses for school holidays, long weekends and Christmas gatherings near Sandringham House. Their official London base is Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, which they still retain for royal engagements and state occasions.
Anmer Hall: The Norfolk Home
Anmer Hall is the house most people mean when they search for the Kate Middleton house in Norfolk. It is a Georgian country house in the village of Anmer, Norfolk, on the Sandringham Estate — about 110 miles north of London, 12 miles (19 km) north-east of King’s Lynn, 2 miles (3 km) east of Sandringham House and 2 miles (3 km) west of Houghton Hall.
Built in 1802, the red-brick house has a symmetrical 13-bay facade, dormer windows and a porch with Tuscan-style columns. It has ten bedrooms across two storeys and an attic. The house joined the Sandringham Estate in the late 19th century — Edward VII bought it in 1898 — and it was given to William and Kate as a wedding gift by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.
The couple made it their main residence from 2015 to 2017, while William worked as an air ambulance pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and it was their base during much of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before they moved in, the house underwent a £1.5 million renovation in 2013–2014, including a new conservatory, a rerouted driveway and completely overhauled interiors designed with Ben Pentreath, with the kitchen made the heart of the home and the dining room painted a bold jewel green.
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Property | Anmer Hall, Anmer, Norfolk |
| Built | 1802 |
| Style | Georgian country house, red brick, 13-bay facade |
| Bedrooms | 10 |
| Estate | Sandringham Estate (about 20,000 acres) |
| Ownership | Grace-and-favour residence, Crown Estate — not privately owned |
| Wedding gift | 2011, from Queen Elizabeth II |
| Main residence | 2015–2017 |
| Renovation | £1.5 million, 2013–2014 (conservatory, driveway, interiors by Ben Pentreath) |
| Grounds | Walled gardens, swimming pool, tennis court, honeybee colony, climbing frames and swings |
The grounds include walled gardens, a swimming pool and a tennis court, plus a honeybee colony and climbing frames, a climbing wall and swings for the children. William has called Anmer Hall “very peaceful”, and Kate has described nature as a “sanctuary” for her family. It is the home the family returns to whenever they can get away from Windsor — and the one most closely associated with their private family life.
Forest Lodge: The New “Forever Home”
Forest Lodge is an eight-bedroom, six-bathroom Grade II-listed Georgian mansion in Windsor Great Park, built in the 1770s (it was formerly known as Holly Grove) and set in the 4,800-acre park, about four miles from Adelaide Cottage and roughly a ten-minute drive from Windsor Castle. It has a ballroom, a pond and a tennis court, and period details including a chandelier-lit ballroom and a barrel-vaulted entrance hall.
The Wales family signed a 20-year lease on the property in July 2025 (commencing 5 July 2025) and moved in November 2025, earlier than the originally planned Christmas move, after an accelerated renovation schedule. They pay market rent to the Crown Estate — £307,200 a year, according to the Crown Estate’s letter to Parliament — and paid for the renovations themselves. Press reports have put the property’s value at around £16 million, but it belongs to the Crown Estate and cannot be sold on the open market.
The move was framed as a fresh start and a decision for the long term: the family intends to remain at Forest Lodge even after William accedes to the throne. It is twice the size of Adelaide Cottage, giving the family — and their cocker spaniel — considerably more room.
Adelaide Cottage: The Windsor Home They Left Behind
Before Forest Lodge, the Wales family lived at Adelaide Cottage, a Grade II* listed four-bedroom house in Windsor Home Park, just east of Windsor Castle and about a ten-minute walk from it. Built in 1831 as a retreat for Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV, it was designed by architect Sir Jeffry Wyatville using salvaged material from John Nash’s Royal Lodge.
William and Kate moved there with their three children in the summer of 2022, leaving Kensington Palace for more green space and to be closer to Queen Elizabeth in her final months — she died on 8 September 2022, the same day George, Charlotte and Louis started at Lambrook School nearby. The family paid market rent on the cottage and chose to have no live-in staff, with the children taking on more chores at home.
After more than three years, they left Adelaide Cottage for Forest Lodge in late 2025. The cottage has remained uninhabited since their move, and no new occupant has been reported.
Kensington Palace Apartment 1A: The London Base
William and Kate’s official London home is Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace — a 20-room residence spread across four floors, including five reception rooms, three bedrooms, a gym, staff quarters, a nursery and dressing rooms, plus a private walled garden. It was formerly the home of Princess Margaret, the late Queen’s sister, who was gifted it in 1960.
Before the couple moved in, following the birth of Prince George in 2013, the apartment underwent a £4.5 million refurbishment funded through the Sovereign Grant, including asbestos removal, a new roof, rewiring and replumbing. The couple paid privately for fixtures and furnishings themselves. They lived there as their main home until the summer of 2022, when they moved to Windsor — but they still retain Apartment 1A as their official London base for royal engagements and state visits.
The Wales Homes in Wales and Beyond
The couple also have the use of Llwynywermod, a house in Carmarthenshire owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, which is offered to them when they visit Wales. It is a more modest three-bedroom farmhouse, and a reminder that the royal property story extends well beyond the famous addresses.
Kate Middleton’s Property Portfolio
| Property | Location | When | Details | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Lodge | Windsor Great Park, Berkshire | Nov 2025 – now | 8 bed, 6 bath, Grade II-listed Georgian mansion (1770s); 20-year lease, market rent £307,200 a year | Current main home — “forever home” |
| Anmer Hall | Anmer, Norfolk | 2011 – now | 10 bed, Georgian (1802), Sandringham Estate; wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II; £1.5m renovation 2013–14 | Country retreat |
| Adelaide Cottage | Windsor Home Park, Berkshire | Summer 2022 – late 2025 | 4 bed, Grade II* listed (1831), built for Queen Adelaide; market rent, no live-in staff | Former home, now uninhabited |
| Apartment 1A, Kensington Palace | London | 2013 – now | 20 rooms over 4 floors; former home of Princess Margaret; £4.5m refurbishment | Official London base |
| Llwynywermod | Carmarthenshire, Wales | — | Duchy of Cornwall-owned farmhouse, used on Wales visits | Occasional use |
| Bucklebury Manor (parents’ home) | Bucklebury, Berkshire | 2012 – now | 7 bed, Grade II-listed Georgian, 18 acres; bought by Carole and Michael Middleton for £4.7m | Family home |
| Chelsea flat (shared with Pippa) | Old Church Street, London | 2002 – 2019 | 3 bed, 3 storeys; bought by her parents for £780,000, sold Sept 2019 for £1.88m | Sold |
What Kate Middleton’s Homes Show
Few property stories are as unusual as Kate’s. None of her main homes is privately owned by her: Anmer Hall and Forest Lodge are Crown Estate properties held on grace-and-favour terms or a lease, Apartment 1A belongs to the Crown, and Adelaide Cottage was rented at market rent. The family pays its own way — market rent at Forest Lodge and Adelaide Cottage, renovations funded privately — and the homes have grown with the family, from a four-bedroom cottage to an eight-bedroom “forever home”.
For the rest of us, the numbers are very different — but the questions are the same: how much space a family needs, what a move costs, and whether to buy or rent. If you are working out what your own budget could stretch to, our affordability calculator shows how much you could borrow based on your income and deposit. And if you are planning a move of your own, the UK Home Buyer Toolkit brings together stamp duty, affordability and mortgage tools in one place. Already have a mortgage? Our mortgage overpayment calculator shows how much extra payments can save over the years.
FAQs
Where does Kate Middleton live now?
Kate Middleton lives at Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire. The Prince and Princess of Wales moved there with their three children in November 2025, after signing a 20-year lease. Anmer Hall in Norfolk remains their country retreat, and Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace is their official London base.
What is Kate Middleton’s house in Norfolk called?
Anmer Hall. It is a ten-bedroom Georgian country house, built in 1802, on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Queen Elizabeth II gave it to William and Kate as a wedding gift in 2011. It is a grace-and-favour Crown Estate residence, not privately owned, and it was the family’s main home from 2015 to 2017.
How much is Anmer Hall worth?
There is no verified market value for Anmer Hall. It is a grace-and-favour residence on the Sandringham Estate, owned by the Crown Estate, and it has never been traded on the open market. Any price quoted for it is speculation.
Did Kate Middleton live at Adelaide Cottage?
Yes. William and Kate lived at Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom house in Windsor Home Park built in 1831, from the summer of 2022 until late 2025, when they moved to Forest Lodge. The cottage has remained uninhabited since they left.
How many rooms does Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace apartment have?
Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace has 20 rooms spread across four floors, including five reception rooms, three bedrooms, a gym and staff quarters. It was formerly the home of Princess Margaret and was refurbished for £4.5 million before William and Kate moved in in 2013.
Comments are closed.