Prince Charles has dropped plans to build a grand country house, which had been tipped to be a future home for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
The proposed mansion was due to be created on the Harewood End estate which lies between between Ross-on-Wye and Hereford in Herefordshire.
The Duchy of Cornwall, owned by Charles, bought the 900-acre estate in 2000 and work thought to be worth £9million has been ongoing to transform the land.
But according to Gloucestershire Live, the Duchy has now confirmed that work on building a Georgian-style house on the border between England and Wales will not happen - despite planning permission being granted.
"Although planning consent for a statement house was granted some time ago, the Duchy never took it forward," said a Duchy spokesman.
"The regeneration project at Harewood Park is now complete and the estate comprises a number of let residential and office units in converted barns, together with farmland."
When plans were revealed to build a grand mansion as a centrepiece for the estate, it was rumoured that Charles would give it to William and his then-girlfriend Kate upon their marriage.
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In 2007 the couple split briefly and Charles successfully submitted plans for a much scaled down six bedroom, mini-mansion at Harewood End.
Kate and William later reunited and married in April 2011. After their wedding thy moved to Anglesey due to William's work with the RAF but it was still thought they would eventually live in the new house in Herefordshire.
However, in 2015, they were instead gifted by the Queen Anmer Hall in Norfolk, where they spent much of lockdown with their children George, Charlotte and Louis. Their official London residence is Kensington Palace.
The news comes as there have been reports that Charles will live in little more than “a flat above the shop” at Buckingham Palace as part of his radical plan to slim down the royal estate when he ascends to the throne.
Among his ambitious ideas is the reported opening of royal private spaces to members of the public, including throwing open the doors of Buckingham Palace and Balmoral.
It is also understood that William and Kate will move from Kensington Palace to Windsor Castle, a relocation that the couple is said to want.
Charles also reportedly planned for his official London residence Clarence House to go to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when he became King.
But since the couple stepped back from the royal family to move to the US, this is said to be "no longer on the cards".
Charles currently splits his time between Clarence House and Highgrove in Gloucestershire.
A source told the Mail on Sunday that discussing the future of the palaces is “on the ‘to do’ list”.
