The Queen’s biographer has told of the priceless reaction the monarch had to the Cambridge’s newly-renovated home following a visit to Amner Hall.
Kate Middleton and Prince William moved into the Georgian country house in 2015 following a major redecoration, which saw the couple swap the usual royal decor for more modern layout.
The country residence, which belongs to the Queen’s Sandringham Estate, has been described by Sally Bedell Smith, author of Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch, as an unstuffy home where the Duchess of Cambridge has been known to greet visitors at the door with her children in tow while a lasanga cooks in the oven.
But following a visit to the family home, it seems the Queen made it clear she would be unlikely to sit down to dinner in Kate and William’s spacious, contemporary kitchen.
“I remember when they had just finished renovating Anmer Hall, and they invited the Queen over for lunch,” Bedell Smith told People.
“They have one of those big kitchens with eating areas, and she said, ‘I can’t understand why everybody spends their time in the kitchen.’”
It comes ahead of the Cambridge’s forthxoming move from London to Windsor, where their children George, nine, Charlotte, seven and Louis, four, will start a new school.
Friends of the royal family have said the Queen is delighted by William and Kate’s anticipated relocation as it will bring them closer to her Windsor Castle residence.
The relocation brings them closer to the Queen, who largely resides in Windsor Castle and will be delighted by the move, say friends.
William and Kate “are representing the Queen impeccably,” Bedell Smith said.
“They’re showing a kind of dedication she would be proud of. And that probably gives her hope.”
