Kate Middleton News: The Princess Helps Her Husband Redesign His Childhood Home
Kate Middleton and Prince William teamed up with Harry to redesign their childhood home. The flat was re-modeled to act as headquarters for Kate, William, and Harry’s charity, reported the International Business Times. While the apartment renovation took two years, the space is officially ready to be a designated work spot for the trio.
Apartment 8 in Kensington Palace once housed Prince William, Prince Harry, their late mother Diana, and father Prince Charles. Though Princess Diana divorced Charles in 1996, the space still acted as home for Prince William and Harry. Still, there are other apartments within Kensington Palace that act as home to some.
Remember Princess Diana's sweetest moments with Prince William and Prince Harry: https://t.co/2oBzl7LnpM pic.twitter.com/kxZnbkeclq
— POPSUGAR (@POPSUGAR) June 28, 2016
Kate Middleton and Prince William are currently residing in Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace. The flat isn’t just any regular old apartment; it has 20 rooms. The space is set to eventually become the permanent residence for the duke and duchess. While the royal couple has been residing in Anmer Hall for three years, the two are ready to move onto bigger and better residences. Anmer Hall, which is on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, only has 10 bedrooms. The estate was given as a gift to Kate and William by the queen in 2011 as a wedding present.
Kate Middleton and Prince William will unfortunately need to leave Anmer Hall since work obligations have been keeping them at the West London apartment. Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace has also received a facelift, along with Apartment 8. The duke and duchess’ new residence was renovated in 2011 with a whopping price tag of 4.5 million euros. In American currency, the apartment is a little over $50 million. Though the couple doesn’t officially live in the London address just yet, they have held “many engagements” within the space. President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Harry have all had the opportunity to stay at the fancy apartment.
This is why Kate Middleton and Prince William don't hold hands in public https://t.co/IYu2dVsuUI pic.twitter.com/3TkKe3gbxh
— Grazia UK (@GraziaUK) June 25, 2016
Kate Middleton and Prince William aren’t the only royals that have resided in Apartment 1A. The queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, lived in the space from 1960 onward. According to royal author Ingrid Seward, “it makes total sense” that the duke and duchess decided to live in Apartment 1A, she told the Daily Mail, reported the International Business Times. Apparently, this space is quite the abode.
“They have two lovely new reception rooms which are great spaces for them to have meetings and officially entertain. One of the rooms was the drawing room which overlooks the rose garden and outside courtyard and was at one time connected to the dining room. The other room was a TV and sitting room.”
Kate Middleton and Prince William could also have interest in the space for sentimental reasons, according to Seward.
“You can understand why the boys wanted to take the rooms on. I imagine it’s a way of them keeping Diana’s memory alive.”
Apparently, the move came at a perfect time for Queen Elizabeth. Prince William has taken over some charities for his grandmother. Recently, the duke was sworn into the Privy Council, which is the queen’s “most senior advisory board.” The swearing-in process took place about a month ago.
Kate Middleton and Prince William have already started utilizing Apartment 8. The duke and duchess have met with Attitude Magazine and members of the LGBT community to discuss the effect mental health has on sexuality and bullying based on gender. Middleton also used the work space when she was a guest editor on the Huffington Post web show News Room, while discussing the “launch of the website’s mental health initiative Young Minds Matter.”
[Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images]
