Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children moved into their new home, Forest Lodge, in November, relocating from nearby Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. The Princess of Wales is understood to have taken a great interest in decorating her new Georgian mansion with British textiles, and according to lip reader Nicola Hickling, she shared some of her renovation plans with Germany's first lady during an official state visit on December 3.
The Royal Family welcomed the country's president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and first lady, Elke Büdenbender, on Wednesday, with the Prince and Princess of Wales arriving at Heathrow airport to greet the couple. Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, Hickling says that Princess Kate and Büdenbender chatted about Forest Lodge while they stood outside the plane.
According to Hickling, the first lady said to Kate, "Oh, have you moved?" Although the princess's back was to the camera, Büdenbender reportedly added, “You are doing the floors? It’s something you must do, it's wonderful to hear you have moved into a new home together."
While speaking about one specific room in her new house, the Princess of Wales seemed to be especially excited. According to Hickling, Kate told the German first lady, "We are putting together some mood boards for the room and we will start after Christmas."
Büdenbender then asked the Princess of Wales if she could keep her updated on its progress. HIckling claims that the first lady said, "Good decision, that makes sense. Can you send me pictures when they’re done?" to which Kate smiled and said "yes."
"I’d love to see the outcome," Büdenbender reportedly added.
In August, it was confirmed that William and Kate would be moving to Forest Lodge with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
A royal source told the BBC at the time: "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."
This rough period for the family included Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022, King Charles and Princess Kate's 2024 cancer diagnoses, and the multiple scandals surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The source said that William and Kate see their new home as a chance to start over, explaining, "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."
