Prince William and Princess Kate are paying a very pretty penny to rent their stunning new “forever home” in Windsor—shelling out a reported $413,000 a year to reside in the historic property, which they relocated to with their children at the end of 2025.
The sky-high sum, which works out at about $34,400 per month, is understood to be $100,000 higher than the price paid by the previous tenant, as first reported by British outlet The Times.
The Prince and Princess of Wales signed a 20-year lease on the property in July 2025, when reports first started to emerge that they had earmarked the dwelling as their “forever home,” where they are said to be planning to remain even after the father of three ascends to the throne.
Initially, though it was revealed that the couple would be charged for their tenancy, it was unclear exactly how much they would be paying—with some questioning whether they would receive a similar deal to the one enjoyed by King Charles‘ brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who paid a “peppercorn” sum for his lease on the nearby Royal Lodge.
The Times reports that William, 43, and Kate, 44, agreed to make their lease arrangement public, perhaps in a bid to make clear they are not enjoying the same low-cost arrangement.
William and Kate also funded their move to the property privately—including paying for all updates and renovations that were carried out on the historic dwelling before they took up residence.
Sources previously told the BBC that the royal couple hoped the move would give them a chance to start “a new chapter” after battling through Princess Kate’s cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times,” the insider said.
“Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter. It’s an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind.”
Kate, who shares three children with William, announced that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer in March 2024, revealing at the time that she was undergoing chemotherapy—although she declined to share any other details about her illness.
In January 2025, she then announced that she was in remission, before opening up about the “really difficult” process of going through treatment and recovery.
“You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism, through treatment,” she said during a July event at Colchester Hospital. “Treatment’s done, and it’s like, ‘I can crack on, get back to normal again,’ but actually that phase afterwards is a really difficult time.
“You’re not able to function normally at home as you were perhaps once used to.”
When the Princess of Wales was diagnosed, she and William had been living in Adelaide Cottage with their children—Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7—for two years, having relocated to the property on the grounds of Windsor Castle from Kensington Palace in London.
It was said at the time that they had chosen to move from London to Windsor in a bid to enjoy more privacy, while also creating a more traditional lifestyle for their children to enjoy at home.
While they are understood to still love their life in Windsor, with their children all happily settled at the nearby Lambrook School, the couple is reportedly keen to start a new chapter in the wake of Kate’s cancer battle—and believe that Forest Lodge is the perfect place for them to find a fresh slate.
According to reports, William, Kate, and their children moved into the home shortly before the Christmas holiday, with the princess revealing in December that she had been busy creating “mood boards” for the family’s festive decor.
The duo is said to have funded the move privately and are paying market rent for the dwelling, which underwent a $2 million renovation back in 2001, before being put on the rental market for $20,300 a month.
Recent estimates put the value of the property at around $21.6 million.
It’s not known exactly what William and Kate will be charged to lease the property; however, any work that is carried out on the home ahead of their move will be paid for by the couple and not the taxpayer.
Redacted planning applications that were filed with the the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead revealed that the couple was given permission to make minor changes to the interior and exterior.
The plans also included the removal of a window and renovations to an existing fireplace.
The dwelling certainly offers much more space for the Wales family than their former home, which has just four bedrooms and offers far fewer luxury amenities than Forest Lodge, which features a ballroom and a tennis court on its lush grounds, and underwent a $2 million renovation in 2001.
Images taken during that work reveal that extensive work was done to modernize the historic dwelling, which is a Grade II Listed Building.
This work included ripping up the floorboards in several rooms, although reports at the time noted that great care was being given to maintaining its “fine period detail.”
Historic touches found in the property include original stonework, elaborate plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, exquisite marble fireplaces, Venetian windows, and a half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling.
Yet the couple had no plans to alter their current lifestyle after moving into the home, sources insisted, noting that William and Kate would not hire any live-in staff, in keeping with their low-key approach to family life at Adelaide Cottage.
In addition to Forest Lodge, Kate and William also have their own property in Norfolk, Anmer Hall, which is located on the grounds of Sandringham and they primarily use as a summer and weekend retreat for their family.
William also inherited a significant property portfolio from his father when Charles became king, taking over the Duchy of Cornwall, which includes assets worth an estimated total of more than $1 billion, according to The Independent.
The Duchy generates around $30 million in income for the prince and his family each year, money they they use to fund their lives, including their move to Forest Lodge, as well as their many charitable endeavors.
However, on May 17, it was revealed that the future king plans to sell off around 20% of these assets over the next 10 years in order to raise money to tackle the housing crisis in the U.K. As first reported by The Times, William has an aim of raising around $671 million by offloading multiple tracts of land.
William Bax, the chief executive for the Duchy of Cornwall told the outlet of the decision that it was taken because William believes that the Duchy should not “just exist to own land,” but rather to “have a positive impact on the world.”
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