Moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do and yet the Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly hoping to say goodbye to Adelaide Cottage a little earlier than initially planned. Kensington Palace confirmed in August that the family would be leaving their four-bedroom home for another residence "later this year", rumoured to mean by Christmas.
Now it's been suggested that Prince William, Kate and their children could be settled into their new "forever home" by the start of November. As per the Daily Mail, builders had been allegedly working hard to bring the moving date forward and the couple's move could be "imminent".
"It is hoped they will be in the new home in time for Bonfire Night [5th November]," a source recently claimed to the publication. "That will make a fun start for the children."
They'll certainly have plenty of space to enjoy Bonfire Night at their new home, which is said to be Forest Lodge on the Windsor Estate. The Wales children can potentially enjoy a bonfire of their own and fireworks, all without leaving their home and grounds.
Prince George, Charlotte and Louis will also have just returned to Lambrook School after October half-term by then. This could mean that depending on the actual moving date, they might have had a chance to settle in properly and have time at their new home without negotiating a busy term-time schedule at the same time.
Of course, until the future King and Queen make an official announcement, this alleged fast-tracked moving date remains unconfirmed. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if William and Kate were hoping to move sooner rather than later and wanted to give their children a "fun start" at their new home.
The Prince described 2024 as the "hardest year" he's ever had in his recent appearance on Apple TV+'s The Reluctant Traveler and it's not difficult to see why. Both the Princess of Wales and King Charles made their cancer diagnoses public within months of each other.
Kate shared in January that she is in remission and in July she spoke candidly about how the phase after treatment is "really difficult" when you might at first think you can "crack on [and] get back to normal".
When it was first reported that the Wales family would be moving, a source claimed to the BBC that it would give them a chance to "leave some of the more unhappy memories behind".
"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," the royal source declared. "Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter."
There have already been suggestions that they plan to continue living at their new home as a family when Prince William and Kate become King and Queen in the future. They also still have three other residences where they can spend time - Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace, Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Tam-Na-Ghar cottage on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
