Not far from home. Prince William may be gearing up to leave Kensington Palace behind, but the move isn’t likely to cause conflict with future king Prince Charles.
“I don’t suppose it will [make things difficult],” royal expert Jonathan Sacerdoti told Us Weekly exclusively on Tuesday, June 14, while discussing the 39-year-old duke’s relationship with his 73-year-old father. “Let’s not forget, we’re not talking about millions of miles between [them]. … I think they’re probably able to see each other and be in touch as often as they need. They have offices and courtiers who work for them to help coordinate everything.”
Us confirmed earlier this month that William and Duchess Kate have plans to move from Kensington Palace to Windsor, where Queen Elizabeth II has been living since the coronavirus pandemic began in 2020. The Cambridge couple want to “be closer to” the queen, 96, and Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, a source explained.
William and Kate, 40, also factored their children — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — into their decision to relocate. “Charlotte can go horse riding in the open air and George can play football on extensive grounds,” the insider added. “Louis loves being close to his great-grandma, and he’s going to take tennis lessons this summer.”
Per the source, moving is an opportunity to start over. “George, Charlotte and Louis are really excited about going to a new school and being in the countryside in the fresh air where there’s lots of space for them to play freely,” the insider told Us.
Abandoning Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A, which the duke and duchess have called home since 2013, won’t cause friction between William and Charles. In fact, Sacerdoti predicts the opposite.
“I think the tight coordination between the members of the family will only [make them] actually tighter and better rather than worse as a result of the move there,” the British journalist told Us. “There’s no way they’re going to do something now that would jeopardize their ability to keep in touch and, and keep a solid unified front in terms of how they face the world and carry out the activities that they’re meant to.”
As the queen’s eldest son, the Prince of Wales is first in line for the throne, with William following closely behind. While Elizabeth recently celebrated 70 years in power during her Platinum Jubilee, she has lightened her royal workload, leaving ample room for Charles and William to step up to the plate. The father-son duo have already begun “working very closely” to consider how they will rule when the time comes, a source exclusively told Us in February.
“[Charles] will ensure that his son is up to speed [on] the ins and outs of the royal family on a deeper level and William will help Charles come up with new, fresh ideas about modernizing the monarchy,” the insider continued, adding that William and his father are interested in “creating a slimmed down monarchy” because “less people means less drama.”
Prince Harry‘s older brother is “excited” about his future as leader of the British monarchy. “[He] has high ambitions to be known as the People’s King,” the source told Us. “[He’s] creating the perfect balance of being relatable to the public at the same as being a respected role model and decision-maker.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
