Prince William and Kate Middleton insist on keeping one ‘rule’ at home as they prepare for big changes

It’s been confirmed that the Prince and Princess of Wales will be moving to a new family home "later this year" and while there’s no confirmation on exactly where they’re going, it’s believed they’re taking one rule with them wherever they go.

Widely rumoured to be swapping Adelaide Cottage for the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park, William and Kate will reportedly still keep their hard and fast rule of not having live-in staff at their new home.

Despite Forest Lodge being nearly double the size of their current home, while speaking to HELLO!, royal biographer Ingrid Seward shared why she believes the Prince and Princess of Wales will still refrain from having live-in staff.

"William and Kate have never wanted live-in staff; I think that’s the modern way," Ingrid said. "Since William was a little boy, he’s seen all the staff at the late Queen’s homes, and he never wanted that. It’s not something Kate grew up with either."

While William and Kate, along with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, will still benefit from having access to nearby staff, the setup will be a little different from that at other royal residences.

Ingrid explained to the outlet, "They had a housekeeper and a nanny at Kensington Palace, but at Windsor, they have all these little cottages around the big house, which is nicer for the staff, too."

This has been the norm for the family since they moved to Windsor’s Adelaide Cottage in 2022.

This isn’t the only change from more formal customs that William and Kate reportedly want to foster at their home.

According to royal writer Valentine Low, author of Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown, an employee told him that they are requested to dress more casually.

As reported in The Sun, a source said, "The kids run around the office, and he does not want it to be stuffy. If we have important meetings or are going to Buckingham Palace, then, of course, we [dress up]".

William and Kate’s decision to make their next home a "forever home" has been widely reported, and, per Sky News, a Kensington Palace spokesperson has confirmed that "the Wales family will move house later this year".

While Forest Lodge still hasn’t been announced as their new home, there are many who suspect it is the likely choice considering its proximity to their current home, their children’s school, and the fact they can still travel into London easily.

Even when William becomes King, the family are expected to keep their next residence as their main home, and this is something which royal expert Jennie Bond is a response to William’s own lack of "stability" growing up.