A major change is coming to a place Princess Kate and Prince William hold dearly.
Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace has been home to Prince William and Princess Kate since 2013. While the couple moved to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor in August 2022 to be closer to their children’s school, the 20-room, four-story apartment remains their London base.
And now there is a huge change coming to the area, which undoubtedly holds a special place in their family’s hearts. It’s been revealed that a major overhaul has been planned for the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, which was established in loving memory of William’s late mother. Kate has been known to take her children to the play park; in 2014, she was seen there with her then-baby son, Prince George, having made the short walk from Apartment 1A.
The Royal Parks charity will undertake a £3 million renewal of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, subject to planning permission ( Image: PA)
At the time, an insider told The Express that mother-and-son stayed for around 15 minutes. “It was lovely seeing them play together in the sand. They had three protection officers with them but Kate seemed oblivious to anyone except her gorgeous baby enjoying himself.”
Ever since its opening in 2000, the playground has welcomed more than one million children – but after 25 years many of its features are in need of an upgrade. Proposed plans to improve the site include a wheelchair-friendly sailing ship, a new multiple-level tree house, and an improved Mermaid Foundation.
The Royal Parks charity has said it will “retain the characteristics of the existing Peter Pan-inspired playground but will provide more accessible and inclusive play, as well as challenging physical play, so that children of all abilities can enjoy creative and imaginative play together”.
Adelaide Cottage is a quaint four-bedroom home ( Image: REX/Shutterstock)
The revamp is expected to cost around £3 million and take six months to complete. The closure will occur between autumn 2025 and spring 2026. While William and Kate do still use Apartment 1A whenever they are in the capital, they now spend the majority of their time at Adelaide Cottage – and it’s very different from their lavish London base.
In contrast, the Wales family’s life in Windsor is rather modest. Adelaide Cottage has just four bedrooms and a whimsical soft pink exterior. It is said to feature vintage interiors from the 19th Century; according to the Sun, one bedroom features golden dolphins and ceiling rope decorations recycled from a 19th century royal yacht, creating an interesting nautical theme.
The 19th century cottage is located on the Windsor Home Park estate in Berkshire, and the family can walk to neighbouring Windsor Castle in around 10 minutes. It is also just 15 minutes away from Lambrook School, where all three Wales children are day students, and it allows the family to be closer to Princess Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole Middleton, who live at Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire.
