It feels tone deaf William and Kate talk of moving to Windsor

[Poetrypatty]

With most people their age unable to buy any sort of home of their own, it just annoyed me. What's wrong with Kensington Palace and a Norfolk mansion. Doesn't portray the Royals in a good light to me. AIBU?

In a way it's relatable. Many people move out of London to get their own home. Obviously, unlike many Londoners, The Duke and Duchess aren't being forced out, but then neither of them, certainly not Catherine, are Londoners (William is sort of, I guess).

Also it's not unusual for people to move closer to family.

I'd say too that London is a bigger security risk. It's probably easier to protect them in Windsor.

@FayCarew

40-ish couple with 3 DC fancy moving a bit nearer to their parents, schools and work. Aged grandmother lives there and has a suitable property in the grounds.

You could make a MN thread - would it be too close to Granny-in-law, or too close to school. I want them to get the full boarding experience not running home every other day to visit the dogs, ponies and granny.

@Poetrypatty

With most people their age unable to buy any sort of home of their own, it just annoyed me. What's wrong with Kensington Palace and a Norfolk mansion. Doesn't portray the Royals in a good light to me. AIBU?

I suspect it's not of their choosing.

They would, from what we know of them, much rather live a quiet life in the country.

They will be advised to move wherever, so it fits with the roles they will have.

And for the record OP they don't own any of the homes they live in.

And for the record OP they don'townany of the homes they live in

I thought Amer Hall was theirs, or has I just never heard of it before they moved in?

@FayCarew

40-ish couple with 3 DC fancy moving a bit nearer to their parents, schools and work. Aged grandmother lives there and has a suitable property in the grounds.

And keeps two large mansions they already have to nip back to when they feel like it.

Lots of young forty something year olds move closer to parents and grandparents in order to spend their last days with them. The Queen has to be really lonely since Prince Phillip died. I see nothing wrong with them moving there as close family and to bring some joy to her life by seeing her great grand children daily.

@Tealightsandd

In a way it's relatable. Many people move out of London to get their own home. Obviously, unlike many Londoners, The Duke and Duchess aren't being forced out, but then neither of them, certainly not Catherine, are Londoners (William is sort of, I guess).

Also it's not unusual for people to move closer to family.

I'd say too that London is a bigger security risk. It's probably easier to protect them in Windsor.

Kensington Palace is not a security risk. It is highly protected. Windsor Estate is a large green estate and far harder to protect. Also not uncommon to see the Royals in their cars there.

@Lockdownbear

And for the record OP they don'townany of the homes they live in

I thought Amer Hall was theirs, or has I just never heard of it before they moved in?

It’s part of the Sandringham Estate, so owned by the royal family, but not them personally

There are a lot more people in London.

@EmpressCixi

Lots of young forty something year olds move closer to parents and grandparents in order to spend their last days with them. The Queen has to be really lonely since Prince Phillip died. I see nothing wrong with them moving there as close family and to bring some joy to her life by seeing her great grand children daily.

You do know they are not giving up their existing mansions? Normally when people move they don't just keep amassing additional houses.

@Tealightsandd

There are a lot more people in London.

Wrt security risk.

Come on this has nothing to do with security. It is so no one can oversee the helicopter flights and wonder about their destination.

Thanks for that @JustLyra, they currently rent from DGranny how sweet.

They are about to be 40.
Almost everyone I know around that age own a home they've paid for, or have a mortgage on. many people that age have owned more than one home, having moved from first homes to a new one, often as their family have grown.

It's not unusual, ime, for 40y to be buying a home - I really don't think that aspect would come under 'tone deaf''

@Monopolyiscrap
Normal ultra rich 1%ers do keep their second, third, homes etc. The rich 10%ers will rent out their home and then buy a second home when they move closer to family- so they keep ownership of their mansions too.

The royals aren't doing anything abnormal when you consider their economic class.

If it was about security, why is Catherine shopping in Peter Jones Department Store in London? She was photographed there recently.

You do know they are not giving up their existing mansions?

State figureheads, eg. UK and other Royals, French and American and other Presidents, all have several properties - some more for work than home. London was always more work for our royals.

Normally when people move they don't just keep amassing additional houses.

A lot of people move to London after school or university, work there for a decade or two, and then when they've had their fill, move back out - but keep a second home 'London bolthole'.

@EmpressCixi they have said they will still be using the homes. Not renting them out. They arent actually theirs to rent out anyway. The Queen would decide that.

@Tealightsandd I am happy for them to have what our Prime Minister has. An apartment in London - the Prime Ministers is much smaller than their apartment at Kensington Palace. And a house in the country. If it is good enough for the Prime Minister, why should they get more?

Much of the SW- Devon, Cornwall, Dorset is majority second homes of rich Londoners, so you really need to define normal in terms of what the rich with millions do not just royal vs not royal and that somehow meaning working class on a council estate with no chance for owning even a car much less a home. Better comparison is royal vs multi-millionaire commoner.

A lot of people move to London after school or university, work there for a decade or two, and then when they've had their fill, move back out - but keep a second home 'London bolthole'

Honestly I don't think a lot of people do this.

@Monopolyiscrap

If it was about security, why is Catherine shopping in Peter Jones Department Store in London? She was photographed there recently.

Because randomly going shopping without telling people in advance is relatively low risk, the odds of a terrorist being their with weapons is low.

Where they live is different, terrorist know where they are, which gates they use, not hard to plan an attack.

[quote Monopolyiscrap]@EmpressCixi they have said they will still be using the homes. Not renting them out. They arent actually theirs to rent out anyway. The Queen would decide that.[/quote]
I never said they would be renting out their homes? What are you on about? I was saying what the 1% do vs the 10%.. rich commoners. You seem to be defining “normal” as anyone not rich, but their lifestyle is not too dissimilar from regular 1%ers in their economic class.

If they plan to send the boys to Eton it'll be nice to be close by.

No matter what they do someone like you will be pissed off by it...