William spent a lot of his childhood at the home and now has control over it

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton are unlikely to move into Highgrove House, where his parents, King Charles and Princess Diana, once spent a lot of time.

Charles and Diana occupied Highgrove at weekends after their marriage in 1981. Their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, spent much of their childhood at the house.

When Charles, 76, became king in 2022, control of Highgrove was automatically transferred to his eldest son and heir to the throne, the Prince of Wales.
The king rents the house from the duchy to use as his and Queen Camilla’s country residence (Credit: Cover Images)

Who owns Highgrove House?

Highgrove House has been owned by the Duchy of Cornwall since 1980. The property is southwest of Tetbury in Gloucestershire.

When Charles became king following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, William became Duke of Cornwall and inherited the duchy.

Therefore, William has control of Highgrove House. The king rents the house from the duchy to use as his and Queen Camilla’s country residence.

Despite William having control of Highgrove, it’s unlikely he’ll ever move into the home.

King Charles’ former gardener, Jack Stooks, has explained why.
Prince William has control of Highgrove House (Credit: Photo by Tim Rooke/Shutterstock)

Where do Prince William and Kate Middleton live?

Prince William, Kate, and their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, live at Adelaide Cottage.

Adelaide Cottage is located in Windsor Home Park just east of Windsor Castle. The family has lived there since 2022, when they moved from Kensington Palace.

It’s like a family home that mum and dad lived in.

The home has four bedrooms and offers the family more privacy compared to Kensington Palace.

According to royal gardener Jack, the Wales family will likely stay at Adelaide Cottage instead of moving into Highgrove.
The Waleses live in Windsor (Credit: Cover Images)

Reason William and Kate wouldn’t move into Highgrove

Speaking to OK!, Jack said: “Before [Charles] became king, I think the idea was that they needed to make sure that the garden was actually protected.

“So I think he thought that William probably wouldn’t move into Highgrove once he became king, so the idea was, ‘Let’s protect it somehow’, so it was given over to the Prince’s Foundation. So the Prince’s Foundation now rents the garden from the Duchy of Cornwall.”

He added: “I think that William’s obviously got his own family now, so he’s got his own family unit and they’ve been brought up at Armer Hall, and also now at the Adelaide Cottage. Highgrove was very much his mum and dad’s home [where they] were brought up, so it’s like a family home that mum and dad lived in.”

However, Jack believes it would be “unfair to Kate” if the family moved into Highgrove. He said that’s like “her having to step into Diana’s shoes”.