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Woman & Home
Lifestyle
Emma Shacklock

Why Prince William and Kate Middleton’s summer decision could see them return to little-known royal residence

Prince William and Kate's summer decision they'll have to make explained. Seen here are the Prince and Princess of Wales during a prize giving

Prince William and Kate Middleton’s summer decision could see them return to  royal residence that some fans might not know about. 


King Charles and Queen Camilla have remained based at Clarence House since becoming King and Queen Consort, but that’s far from the only royal residence they can spend time in. The Royal Family are known for enjoying certain occasions at specific homes, from Christmas at Sandringham House in Norfolk to Easter at Windsor Castle. But when it comes to summer, there’s one destination that was a favourite in the late Queen Elizabeth’s reign - Balmoral Castle. She enjoyed an annual holiday there and invited her nearest and dearest to join her. 

The Daily Mail has alleged that Birkhall will be King Charles' “main base” this summer, with sources claiming he and the Queen could “decamp’” to Balmoral for official visits. However, it’s also been suggested that other royals will be staying at Balmoral. Two who might not, though, are Prince William and the Princess of Wales. 

(Image credit: Photo by: Robert Plattner/Oneworld Picture/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The couple are expected to travel north with their children to enjoy precious family time with other royals in private. Though Prince William and Kate’s summer decision over whether or not to stay at Balmoral could mean they opt to return to a home that is incredibly private. 

If they do go to Scotland and decide against staying at Balmoral, then the likely alternative would be Prince William and Kate’s own Scottish home. As well as Anmer House in Norfolk and Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, the Prince and Princess of Wales are understood to also have Tam-Na-Ghar Cottage on the Balmoral estate.

According to Hello!, this cottage used to belong to the late Queen Mother and was reportedly given to Prince William as a gift shortly before she passed away in 2002. Few photographs exist of it and some fans might not have known it existed.

(Image credit: Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo - Pool/Getty Images)

It’s believed that the Prince and Princess of Wales have stayed at Tam-Na-Ghar Cottage a number of times over the years, and have supposedly also brought Prince George, Charlotte and Louis to stay there before.

Given this is their own home it might make sense for Prince William and Kate’s summer decision to be that they will stay at Tam-Nar-Ghar rather than Balmoral when they’re apparently quite close and they can easily travel between the two. Even if they don’t stay at the main castle, though, it would still be lovely to see them continue the family tradition of going to Scotland in the summer.

(Image credit: Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)

Scotland held a special place in Queen Elizabeth’s heart and Princess Eugenie once explained on the Our Queen at Ninety documentary about how much being there meant to her grandmother, Prince Philip and their family. 

"Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there's always dogs – and people coming in and out all the time. It's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run,” she declared.

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