Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.Photo: BBC
WhileKate MiddletonandPrince William’s home base is at Kensington Palace in London, the couple and their three children — Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3 — spend plenty of time at their Sandringham country estate,Anmer Hall. Located about 110 miles north of London in Norfolk, their second home — a gift from Queen Elizabeth for the royal couple’s 2011 wedding — is often where the family of five escape to during school breaks, weekends and holidays. They also were in isolation at Anmer Hall throughout much of the pandemic.
Kate has said herfavorite times with her familyare “outside in the countryside and we’re all filthy dirty” — and Anmer Hall is the perfect place for some messy fun. During breaks from homeschooling, George and Charlotte are encouraged to spend time outdoors. Kate has also shared thatPrince Louis"loves smelling flowers" and “enjoys being outside.”
“This part of Norfolk is just very quiet and peaceful,” local B&B owner Marie Therese Viney previously told PEOPLE. “It is the perfect place to raise a family.”
Anmer Hall.Alpha Press
WhenKate and Williaminherited the 10-bedroom home, the Duchess of Cambridge opted totake on the interior decorating.
“Instead of hiring a royal interior designer, she wants to furnish it in her own style, because she wants this to be her own family home,” Simon Knight, owner of Knights Oriental Rugs in Henley-on-Thames, told PEOPLE.
“She was looking for things for bedrooms,” he added, “so she wanted softer pastel shades rather than strong colors.”
In addition to the considerable renovation, including a complete retiling of the roof, the couple added a sunlit garden room to one side of the house with a pergola-covered patio for extra privacy and protection from the notorious British weather.
Anmer Hall in Norfolk.Indigo/Getty
“It’s like a fancy farmhouse,” someone familiar with the house told PEOPLE. “It isn’t grandiose. Butit’s a great, friendly family environment.”
“There was no formality at all,” said the insider at the time. “It really was like any other family sitting down to lunch, with George and Charlotte eating their homemade food in their high chairs and toddling around with their toys.”
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And although they have plenty of help from nannyMaria Turrion Borrallo, it’s often just the family at home.
“You’d think that Kate and William would have an army of staff to help them out, but it really was just them and the children,” noted the insider.
source: people.com
