Anmer Hall is one of the historic royal homes, and one that has been occupied on and off by Prince William and Kate Middleton for the last decade.
The Prince and Princess of Wales might be based at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor most of the time, but the couple and their children Prince George, Charlotte and Louis also spend a lot of time in Norfolk. The family are said to have spent February half term at Anmer Hall as Kate continues to recover from her “planned” abdominal surgery last month, according to The Sunday Times’s Roya Nikkhah.
Their gorgeous Norfolk home has been described as the Wales’s “favourite place” and Anmer Hall is where Prince William and Kate can retreat away from the public gaze and enjoy privacy in the beautiful countryside.
Where is Anmer Hall?
Anmer Hall is in the village of Anmer in Norfolk and is part of the Sandringham Estate. This stunning royal home is located just two miles away from Sandringham House where the Royal Family traditionally gather for Christmas. This makes it incredibly convenient for the Prince and Princess of Wales when they go to Norfolk for the festive period. Anmer Hall is also close to the larger market town of King's Lynn which has all the amenities that the Wales family might need when they go to their country home.
Do Prince William and Kate live at Anmer Hall now?
Whilst it might not have been their year-round home since Prince George first started school, Anmer Hall remains Prince William and Kate’s countryside home. When Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are studying during term-time, the Wales family’s base is Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
However, during half-terms and other school holidays - notably Christmas - they are understood to spend time at Anmer Hall. Their 2020 Christmas family photo taken by Matt Porteous is thought to have been taken there too. The Prince and Princess of Wales and their children reportedly went to Norfolk for February half-term as Kate continues to recover from “planned” abdominal surgery.
Prince William previously opened up about how much Norfolk means to him and Kate, describing it as feeling like “home” thanks to the work of his late grandfather Prince Philip. Speaking on the BBC’s Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers documentary, he reflected on how much Prince Philip did to help the Sandringham Estate which Anmer Hall is part of.
"Sandringham has always been a really, really important part of his life," he said "He was tasked with being the warden, managing the estate from 1952. I think for him, being up here, was an escape. He likes the fact that he's been able to have an impact here… He's planted over 40 kilometres of hedge land, 45 woods, over two million trees. These things really matter to the makeup of the surrounding area."
Prince William went on to declare, “For me, coming here and now living here, everything that he's done has led up to Catherine and I feeling that this is a part of the country we want to be in. We love this area, it feels like home, and that's because of what he's created."
It’s likely in light of these special remarks that Prince William might feel especially close to his grandfather whilst in Norfolk and he certainly admires everything he did to help make the area somewhere he and Kate “love”.
How long have Prince William and Kate owned Anmer Hall?
The future King and Queen have called Anmer Hall home since 2013 when they received the stunning Norfolk property as a belated wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth. They were still living at Kensington Palace in London at the time but Anmer Hall was conveniently located whenever they might want to visit the Queen and Prince Philip at Sandringham and it gave them a home to enjoy outside of London. They’re understood to have extensively renovated Anmer Hall and this reportedly included putting on a new roof, adding a new kitchen, a conservatory and redecorating the rooms.
Plenty of trees were also apparently planted around the perimeter of Anmer Hall to help give the royal couple more privacy. Anmer Hall was Prince William and Kate’s full time home from 2015 until 2017 during the future King’s time working as a pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance Service.
In September 2017, they moved back to Kensington Palace permanently as they became full-time working members of the Royal Family and Prince George was set to begin school. In 2022 the Wales family moved out of London to Windsor but they still spend a lot of time in Anmer Hall.
A brief history of Anmer Hall
The Georgian home dates back to the 18th century and was thought to have been the seat of the Coldham family. Anmer Hall was reportedly acquired by Queen Victoria in 1862, apparently as a gift for her son the future King Edward VII, and it later became part of the Sandringham Estate. From 1972 until 1990 the Duke and Duchess of Kent lived at Anmer Hall.
The Duke of Kent is Queen Elizabeth's cousin and a working royal who is often seen at important occasions, including Trooping the Colour, the King's coronation and on Remembrance Sunday. The Duke and Duchess moved out in 1990 when the property was then apparently leased by Hugh van Cutsem Sr.
The van Cutsem family are close friends of the royals and Hugh was a friend of King Charles. The property was then reportedly leased to James Everett, owner of a kitchen timber company, before Queen Elizabeth generously gifted it to Prince William and Kate.
What is it like inside Anmer Hall?
It's thought that Anmer has 10 bedrooms and is set over three floors with one being their attic room. During the pandemic, fans were given several glimpses into the royal home, as the Prince and Princess of Wales continued to conduct their official duties via video calls in Norfolk, many clips of which were shared on social media. This includes a special post showing Kate standing near a window in Anmer, with the gorgeous scalloped edge of a curtain beside her and lush greenery seen outside.
The couple typically took video calls inside just one room, so this was a slightly different setting to the one royal fans have been used to. Prince William and Kate often appeared sitting in some sort of dining room or office room, with a laptop or computer on the table in front of them. The videos show that the couple prefer paired back décor at least in some of the rooms at Anmer Hall, with sleek white doors and stylish green-grey walls.
According to reports, the royal couple brought the property bang up to date since moving in, with the help of designer Ben Pentreath. Ben, a friend of King Charles, is said to favour bold colours and up-to-the-minute accessories, so it's likely the Wales's country home is as stylish inside as it is beautiful outside.
What are the Anmer Hall grounds like?
Anmer Hall is situated within many acres and the Prince and Princess of Wales are known for actively encouraging their children to spend as much time outside as possible. It's in the grounds that several photographs of the family have been taken, including an adorable one released to mark Prince William's birthday and Father's Day in 2020.
A source claimed back then that the family were loving the freedom of their extensive gardens whilst spending more time at home. Speaking to Fabulous, as per The Sun, they said, "George, Charlotte and Louis are now relishing their freedom in the spacious gardens of Anmer Hall. Climbing frames, a climbing wall and swings are a big part of the [Wales] outdoors activity scene, and Kate will do pond dipping and note-taking to log what they have spotted."
During the pandemic Kate and Prince William also shared a sweet video of their three kids clapping for the NHS on their social media pages, which gave a rare glimpse of the pretty gardens at Anmer Hall. The outside space also likely provides a great play area for the family's beloved dog, Orla, a cocker spaniel they brought into the family home a few years ago.
Is Anmer Hall open to the public?
Unlike plenty of the other royal residences, including Buckingham Palace, Balmoral and Windsor Castle, Anmer Hall is not open to the public. It is Prince William and Kate's private countryside home and so fans cannot visit either the house or the grounds and there are only limited photographs seen of the property.
