Prince William and Princess Kate’s surprising moving costs as they relocate to bigger home

The Prince and Princess of Wales are going to be moving in a matter of weeks with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

William and Kate in red hat and dress at state visit

he Prince and Princess of Wales must be excited for a fresh start with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as they look to move into their new home Forest Lodge, in a matter of weeks. At the moment gardeners and decorators are hard at work at the historic home, and all systems are go for the big move. Soon it will be time for the family to pack their boxes and ship them off. Major moves can rack up major costs, but here’s why the Wales family bill is lower than the average family’s…

With over 10 years of experience in the house removals industry, and as owner and managing director of Compare My Move, Dave Sayce has shared his expert opinion on what this royal move could cost and why. “The cost of moving house that Prince William and Princess Kate will have to pay is quite small in comparison to house moves of the same grandeur. This is because they aren’t having to buy or sell any properties, as both Adelaide Cottage and Forest Lodge belong to the Crown estate,” he explains.

Pink house in grounds© Shutterstock
The family will be moving in November, according to reports

The fact they will not have to pay any Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) or conveyancing costs makes their bill considerably lower. With removal and survey costs, Dave has estimated that the Prince and Princess will be paying £4,900 for their move, which is £10,000 less than the average cost of moving house.”

He has broken down that removals could come in at £3,000. “Prince William and Princess Kate will be saving some considerable money on removals and that’s because Forest Lodge is only five miles away from Adelaide Cottage, and this lack of mileage travelled will be taken into account in the moving cost,” he points out.

Forest Lodge, formerly known as Holly Grove in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire, 2018. © Getty Images
Forest Lodge is five miles away from their current home

Additional survey costs could be a factor, and this would have been required particularly as they have carried out renovations at the property. “For a house of this age and this size, they’d want to get a level 3 survey, which is the most thorough survey you can get and would usually cost around £600, but with the age and size of Forest Lodge, we’d have to assume that the survey would cost much more than this. The maximum we have seen quoted for a survey in the last year is £1,900 for a 4-bedroom house in the South East, of a similar high price range. Therefore, this is what we estimate for Prince William and Princess Kate.”

Why are Prince William and Princess Kate moving?

Prince William in suit and Catherine in red coat with george and charlotte clapping© Getty
The couple love living in Windsor and want to stay there

Danielle Stacey, HELLO!’s Online Royal Correspondent, gives us an expert insight into the move. “Upsizing to Forest Lodge allows the family more space and has already been viewed as their ‘forever home,’ rather than having the children growing up within the walls of a palace.” It is also believed that the family will remain here for the long term, even when William takes the rein one day, he prefers to live here instead of move into Buckingham Palace. Forest Lodge seems like the perfect “forever home”.