Easter Break For Charlotte And George

Prince George and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge have finished school and nursery for the Easter break. 

School will not resume until 24th of April so the children, along with little brother Louis will be able to see their grandparents, perhaps at the Middleton family home in Berkshire. There will also be time for an extended stay at Amner Hall and a 1st birthday party for Louis who celebrates his big milestone on 23rd April.

A skiing trip could be on the cards but this will be kept low key and we are unlikely to know until after the fact when some photos would be released in exchange for privacy. 

Prince William is planned to travel to Christchurch in New Zealand. The visit was requested by Prime Minister Jacinda Adern in the wake of the horrible attacks in the city this month. William also visited Christchurch after it's destructive earthquakes in 2011.

Due dates and hospital are still unknown for Baby Sussex but it is likely that he or she will arrive during the school holiday/ Easter period. 

Whatever the Cambridge family chooses to do we wish them an enjoyable holiday break! 

Harry & Meghan's New Home - Frogmore Cottage

Announcing The New Tab "Frogmore Cottage" On This Blog- See Menu Under Header Photo

Frogmore Cottage is located in  “Frogmore House and Gardens”, part of Windsor Home Park and about half a mile south of Windsor Castle.

The original Frogmore House was built in 1680 by Charles II’s architect Hugh May. The land was on the estates of Great and Little Frogmore which were bought by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.

Frogmore Cottage

Frogmore House has been a royal residence since 1792 when George III’s wife Queen Charlotte purchased the lease. Charlotte used the property for herself and unmarried daughters when the moods and reported instability of the King left the ladies needing a bit of quiet!

After Queen Charlotte’s death in 1818, Frogmore House passed onto her daughter Princess Augusta and then subsequently to Queen Victoria’s mother the Duchess of Kent in 1840. Two years before her death the Duchess asked Victoria’s consort Prince Albert to organise a mausoleum be built in the gardens for her.

In time a Mausoleum was built for Prince Albert in 1871 and then his widow joined him in 1901.

Notably, Queen Victoria’s beloved dog Dash is buried in the grounds.

South of this mausoleum is the Frogmore Royal Burial Ground where members of the royal family have been buried since it’s consecration in 1928. The Duke of Windsor ( aka abdicated Edward VIII) , his wife The Duchess of Windsor ( formerly Wallis Simpson that other American divorcee!) are also buried here.

A series of royal relatives have lived in the main House over the following years and in the 1980s a repair, restoration and redecoration project was undertaken. This is where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held their evening wedding reception in 2018 and was also the location for their engagement photos in 2017.

Frogmore Cottage ( Harry and Meghan's new home) was built in 1801 at the instigation of Queen Charlotte. Over the years the Cottage has housed some interesting tenants!

Queen Victoria’s Indian servant Abdul Karim, his wife and father took up residence in 1897. The exiled Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia resided here in the 1920s.

Most recently, Frogmore Cottage was divided into five separate apartments for Windsor estate workers. Now, builders have been feverishly transforming it into a modern, comfortable residence befitting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Fireplaces, staircases, shutters and a floating floor over the existing floorboards are being added. A yoga studio, nursery and accomodation for a nanny are also planned. Total cost is estimated to be in the region of £ 3 million. Renovation costs will be met by the Sovereign Grant ( i.e. the taxpayer) but furnishings will be paid by the couple themselves.

High tech security systems are planned to keep the family safe and a £ 50,000 green energy unit will provide heat, hot water and electricity.

We look forward to seeing the finished result!

According to Royal Collection Trust, Frogmore House and Gardens are open as follows:

Frogmore House is only open to individuals on three Charity Open Days each year, when all proceeds are donated to specially selected charities. The next Charity Open Days will be in May 2019.

Frogmore is also open to pre-booked groups of 15 people or more during August only.

Note: this does not include Frogmore Cottage or the Mausoleums

Frogmore House

Cambridge And Sussex Households

William 1983

Prince William of Wales, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry of Wales, Duke of Sussex grew up primarily in Apartments 8 & 9 in Kensington Palace and Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.

After their parents divorced, Prince Charles's London residence became St James's Palace and later, after the Queen Mother died, Clarence House on The Mall.


In 2011, Prince William and new wife Catherine moved into Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace. Later, after Prince George's birth in 2013, Apartment 1A became the Cambridge's home where they are raising their three young children.

Wales brothers 1985

Prince Harry moved into Nottingham Cottage when his brother vacated it and Kensington Palace also houses the official offices for the Cambridges and Sussexes. This has been a secure, convenient and convivial arrangement for the royal brothers, however this will now change.

Late last year, it was announced that Prince Harry and wife Meghan will move to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Great Park. The property has been converted from five apartments for Estate workers to a comfortable family home for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their new baby, due in the next few weeks.

Last week Buckingham Palace confirmed that the newly formed Household of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be located in the Queen's official London residence. Harry's father the Prince of Wales along with the Queen will assist with the establishment and staffing. This is much the same arrangement for the Queen's sons the Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and daughter the Princess Royal and husband Sir Timothy Laurance. Most likely apartments will be allocated to the Sussexes for their London engagements. 

Prince William and wife Catherine will continue to have their household offices in Kensington Palace as they prepare for the time when William is heir to the throne and thus Prince of Wales. 

Diana's sitting room 1985

William in Palace walled garden

The future of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is unknown. Perhaps it will soon be time to split the Foundation to allow the couples their own areas of charitable interest.

Cambridge's Apartment

Cambridge's Apartment

George 2016

I hope you enjoyed a peek inside the Wales and Cambridge apartments at Kensington Palace over the years!


Baby Sussex
As previously stated, Harry and Meghan's first baby is due to arrive in the coming weeks. There has been no official advice as to where Meghan will give birth- London's Lindo Wing, Frimley Park Hospital near Windsor where the Countess of Wessex had Lady Louise and Viscount Severn or perhaps the Portland Hospital in London where Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were born. 

In public, Prince Harry has become a much more serious character since his engagement to Meghan and information flow is quite controlled. So we wait and see whether we welcome a new Lord or Lady Sussex, their birthplace and names. 

 

Blog author outside Kensington Palace 2017