Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Relocate to Windsor

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with their three children, are set to leave their home at Kensington Palace in London and move to a new residence in the county of Berkshire.

The move will bring the family closer to Windsor Castle, where the Queen resides, as well as the Duchess's parents.

According to a source, Prince William and Catherine are expected to relocate to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor this fall.

The couple has been looking at schools in the Berkshire area near Bucklebury, where Catherine's parents are, and closer to the Queen's home base at Windsor Castle.

The move is believed to be spurred by the couple's desire to give their children more freedom and to allow William to prepare himself for his future role as king.

A close aide added that there is a sense of the future accelerating towards him, which is tinged with profound sadness due to the implications that his grandmother would no longer be around, and the added pressures on his father and his family being under even more scrutiny.

The Cambridges' close friend revealed that the reality is they are quite confined in what they can do in London.

The kids can't go into the park and kick a football with friends.

Their plan is to be there for the next 10 to 15 years and then move to Anmer Hall, which is so special to them.

The move will also allow the family easier access to the 96-year-old monarch, who has suffered episodic mobility issues in recent months.

It will also secure a good school for their three children.

Currently, Prince George and Princess Charlotte are enrolled at Thomas's Battersea, located just a short distance from the palace.

But upon finishing their summer terms, the family will relocate and they are expected to continue their studies at a school nearer their new home, along with four-year-old Prince Louis, who is due to start his education in September.

The couple's move could be completed as early as this summer.

The move comes after months of speculation that the senior royals were preparing to move from Kensington Palace, which has been their main residence since 2017.

The couple moved there from their country home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk, where they have previously spent much of their time.

Adelaide Cottage, the Cambridges' new Grade II listed retreat, is just a short walk from St George's Chapel and Windsor Castle and sits proudly on the 655-acre royal estate in Berkshire.

Nestled at the heart of the Crown Estate's private royal park, Adelaide Cottage was built as a retreat for William IV's wife, Queen Adelaide of Saxe-Meunigen.

It was also known to be a favourite home of Queen Victoria, as she frequently enjoyed taking her breakfast there.

The four-bedroom home still boasts original features, including a marble, Greco-Egyptian fireplace and a principal bedroom with a covered ceiling featuring gilded dolphins and rope ornaments reused from the royal yacht, Royal George.

It also has seven gated entrances and exits to Windsor Castle, so the family can come and go in relative privacy.

Adelaide Cottage had sunk back into its backdrop under the shadow of Windsor Castle's grey stone.

However, the four-bedroom home does have a colourful past to draw from.

Back in the years following the Second World War, Adelaide Cottage was the grace and favour home of Group Captain Peter Townsend.

He was the dashing RAF pilot and later equerry to King George VI, who would precipitate a scandal, becoming the divorced lover of Prince Margaret.

Since then, the cottage has been home to a host of well-connected dignitaries and courtiers, including most recently Simon Rhodes, son of the Queen's cousin and best friend Margaret Rhodes, who died in 2016.

Catherine and William are very keen for a modest home to start their new lives in Windsor.

Adelaide Cottage fits the bill because it is a four-bedroom home and they do not need any more as they have no live-in staff.

They have no other demands more than a pleasant family home close to schools in the Queen.

They were adamant they didn't want anything too showy or anything that needed renovating or extra security so as not to be a burden on the taxpayer.

The move represents a fresh start for the senior royals and their five-strong family as they continue to cement their place among the most influential members of the royal family.

The couple's desire to give their children more freedom and a country upbringing, and to be closer to the Queen, has driven their decision to relocate to Windsor.