Prince William and Kate pay an annual rent of £307,500 for their lavish eight-bedroom residence in Windsor, described as “their permanent home”. The amount is almost £100,000 more than what the former tenants of the property paid.
Forest Lodge, located in Windsor Great Park, is where the Prince and Princess of Wales plan to stay even after William becomes king. Close sources previously told The Sun that the pair want a “new beginning” after a difficult time at Adelaide Cottage, marked by the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the cancer diagnoses received by both Kate and King Charles.
Official documents filed at the Land Registry this week show William and Kate signed a 20-year lease for Forest Lodge last July. At the same time, the amount of the rent became public for the first time.
The documents show that the property was previously rented for £216,000 a year by Alexander Fitzgibbons, a businessman in the events industry, and Cristina Stenbeck, a businesswoman from Sweden. Fitzgibbons’ firm, Fait Accompli, organized William and Kate’s wedding receptions in 2011 and Harry and Meghan’s in 2018.
Following new market valuations, the rent rose by almost 50% before the Wales family took over the contract. The new sum was established following separate valuations carried out by Hamptons and Savills for the Crown Estate, as well as Knight Frank.
William pays the rent from his private income from the Duchy of Cornwall estate, which he inherited when he became Prince of Wales. Kensington Palace has previously said William pays the highest rate of income tax, but the exact amount remains confidential.
A recent investigation by the Sunday Times estimated his annual income after tax to be between £5m and £7m. The revelation comes amid growing pressure over the transparency of the Royal Family’s real estate arrangements.
In December, the Public Accounts Commission launched an inquiry into Crown Estate property transactions involving the Royal Family. The committee’s chairman, Conservative Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said tighter oversight would “improve the transparency of information of public interest”.
The Crown Estate declined to comment directly on William’s lease. However, chief executive Dan Labbad previously told the committee: “Following a request from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and discussions with the Royal Household, the commissioners have been asked to consider entering into a lease for the property to Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales for use as their principal private residence.”
He added: “Negotiations were conducted at a distance from the direct influence market to ensure that appropriate market conditions were established.”
