By Molly Claire Goddard
10:42am PST, Jan 16, 2026
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Unlike their royal ancestors, Kate Middleton and
Prince William don't sleep in the upstairs bedrooms at Kensington Palace. According to Cambridgeshire Live via
Daily Express, the couple occupies the ground-floor apartment, Apartment 1A.
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Kate Middleton and
Prince William's residence boasts 20 rooms, four floors, a gym, elevator and nine staff quarters despite being called an apartment. "All of these royal residences at Kensington Palace are called apartments, which of course makes people immediately think they are flats like the American term for an apartment," royal author
Christopher Warwick said during an appearance on
True Royalty's Royal Beat via
Daily Express. "They are not."
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"If you think of Kensington Palace in a way, it is built around three courtyards. If you kind of think of them as being these wonderful red-brick terrace houses because they are all joined, but separate houses," Christopher Warwick said.
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While
Prince William and Kate Middleton maintain their apartment at Kensington Palace, they recently moved into Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park with their three children. "The new house marks a new era for the family," a source told
Us Weekly. "The decision to move into this new home is a significant one that signals independence, though it is not entirely surprising."
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The relocation to Forest Lodge is a deliberate effort by
Prince William and Kate Middleton to keep their three children's lives as normal as possible. "They have witnessed how the role of monarch can consume one's entire being," the source noted. "While they take their responsibilities very seriously, they are not afraid to say no when necessary."
