While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge prepare to move in to their luxurious Kensington Palace residence, Kate Middleton and Prince William have another renovation project on their minds, E! News reports, and it involves beautifying one of their former homes that will soon be available for rent.
Apartment 1-A has recently been renovated for the royal couple and their son, Prince George, the family set to move in sometime this week.
"They can't wait," a friend of the couple recently told The Express. "They are so looking forward to getting the place how they want it and being settled."
After Prince George was born, the Duke and Duchess forgone royal tradition by temporarily moving into the Middleton manor in Bucklebury, Berkshire to get extra help with their newborn from Middleton's doting parents. Afterwards, they relocated to their "farmhouse" in Anglesey, North Wales, close by to where Prince William worked as a search-and-rescue pilot for the Royal Air Force.
Now that Prince William has completed his royal duties and ready to embark on a new chapter of his life, one that involves doing charity work and spending quality time with his new family, he and his wife and son are ready to start a life in London, and their new digs are far from shabby.
Apartment 1-A is a five-story residence complete with five reception rooms, three bedrooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms, a night and day nursery, staff and "ancillary" rooms, according to TODAY. Old wiring has been replaced, and the Old Wing clock tower wing roof has been fixed. Contractors have also removed asbestos.
Roughly $2 million in tax-payer money was used to fund the major renovations project (although the royals will fund the decorating themselves), and fans of the couple will soon be able to found the royals in another exciting way, as their Anglesey home will soon be available for rent. The couple rented the cottage for at least £750 per month, though it is predicted that commoners will pay much more as the demand to stay in the royal abode rises.
Proposed additions to their farmhouse at Anmer Hall include a brand new driveway, a glass-roofed extension on the kitchen and a planned 16x16 garden room that would feature panoramic views, already approved by the King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council, according to E! News. The Duchess is heavily involved in the design process, of course, having had been very involved in the planning of Prince George's jungle-themed nursery.
"[Princess] Mary showed them around their apartment at the Amalienborg Palaceand they loved the way they had combined their collection of modern art with antique furniture," a palace insider told The Express. "Kate was truly inspired and wants to use some similar ideas in some of the rooms at Kensington Palace."
