Since 2013, Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children - Prince George,
Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis - call Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace home.
What does William and Kate's apartment actually look like? Follow along as we
take you inside William and Kate's gorgeous apartment.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You didn't tell me you lived with your parents."
After their royal wedding in 2011, Prince William and Kate Middleton
lived in Nottingham Cottage — where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later lived - but the
couple was looking for a larger home to raise their family. After considering a few options,
the Daily Mail noted that William and Kate had set their sights on Kensington Palace. Kate quote
"absolutely adored" the home and also liked the property's location near Kensington High Street.
For the royal couple to move in safely, however, major work was needed. According to The Week,
the renovation cost approximately 12 million pounds and required more than 100 workers.
The work included rewiring and removing asbestos and lead, removing bomb damage from World War II,
and modernizing the property with 21st century necessities like air conditioning and WiFi,
according to E! News. Other safety additions included a panic room, video cameras in all rooms,
and mesh curtains on the windows to catch shattered glass, according to Curbed.
Though Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children have called Kensington
Palace's Apartment 1A home since 2013, they are not even close to its first residents.
According to The Week, Kensington Palace was originally known as Nottingham House
when it was built in 1605. King William III and Queen Mary II purchased the property in
1689 and worked with architect Christopher Wren to expand it.
However, according to the Daily Telegraph, the property quote "fell out of [favor]"
among the rulers who followed William and Mary and was divided into individual apartments for
quote "minor royals." According to The Straits Times, Edward VIII even once reportedly called
the place a quote "aunt heap," presumably because of the older age of its residents.
Well, this former so-called "aunt heap" has been transformed over the years,
making it perfectly suitable for other members of the British royal family - including William,
Kate, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
We know that Prince William and Kate Middleton's Kensington Palace apartment originally was home
to King William III and Queen Mary II during the 17th century. But what other members of
the British royal family lived in Apartment 1A before William and Kate? According to The Week,
the apartment was presented to Princess Margaret - Queen Elizabeth's sister - and
Lord Snowdon in 1960. Not wanting the space to quote "go to waste," the couple moved in
and embarked on an 85,000-pound renovation - equivalent to about 1.5 million pounds today.
The apartment also happens to be located very close to Apartment 8, where William's parents,
Prince Charles and Princess Diana, lived together and raised William and Prince Harry.
The Daily Mail noted that William had initially suggested living there to Kate; however,
given William and Harry's childhood memories of the home, it's understandable why William
and Kate did not ultimately choose to live there. Additionally, a source told the Daily Mail that,
"Kate thought [that living there] would be too creepy."
No one likes to think that their home is haunted,
but The Week noted that Apartment 1A, home to Prince William, Kate Middleton,
and their three children, is believed to be quote "the most haunted residence" in Kensington Palace.
Most of the incidents occurred while Princess Margaret lived there during the late 1970s.
Royal expert and author Christopher Warwick noted one particular incident in which the housekeeper
saw quote "the figure of a woman" in the hallway inside the drawing room. Another time, both the
housekeeper and the butler awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a terrifying scream.
Royal biographer Andrew Morton claimed that the nursery and other areas of the home are haunted by
ghosts that date back centuries, like the ghost of Caroline of Brunswick, according to Showbiz CheatSheet.
The ghost of King George II, who died in 1760 at Kensington Palace, was reportedly seen
in various rooms, including the nursery and by a window. And, reports of a spinning wheel heard
point to the ghost of Princess Sophia, who died at Kensington Palace in 1848.
"Me? A...a princess? Shut up!"
Prince Charles and Princess Diana raised Prince William and Prince Harry in Kensington
Palace's Apartment 8. But William and Kate Middleton currently have other royal family
members as neighbors. So whose door can they knock on when they're out of milk?
According to Hello!, William and Kate's next-door neighbors include the Duke and
Duchess of Gloucester in Apartment 1. Apartment 10 belongs to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
The Duke and Duchess of Kent live at Wren House, while Princess Eugenie
and Jack Brooksbank live at Ivy Cottage, both on the grounds of Kensington Palace.
In addition, before getting married in May of 2018, Harry and Meghan Markle lived at
Nottingham Cottage, which is situated on the grounds of Kensington Palace.
According to Hello!, they later moved to Frogmore Cottage at Windsor Castle before making the big
move overseas to Southern California, where they currently live, according to the Independent.
Victoria Arbiter, who lived at Kensington Palace when her father was the queen's press secretary,
told Us Weekly,
"It's a bit like ['Melrose Place']. You can knock on a neighbor's door if you need sugar."
In 2016, the public got a first glimpse of Prince William and Kate Middleton's home
at Kensington Palace when the royal couple hosted former U.S. President
Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama in the apartment's drawing room.
Vogue described the space, one of the apartment's several reception rooms, as featuring elements
like antiques and gold accents, which add flair to the neutral tones of cream and beige.
The elegant space also includes several tall windows, bringing in natural light.
Cream-colored sofas with floral-print pillows and an ottoman-style coffee table resting
on a patterned area rug warm up the room, while the historic artwork framed in gold
easily catch one's eye. In one corner of the room is a wooden piano topped with family photos,
while another corner of the room is a designated spot for drinks and refreshments,
similar to that of a butler's pantry.
However, it's the little things that really envelope the space in elegance:
Multiple lamps bring warm light, candles and books rest on glass end
tables, and vases with fresh flowers bring the outdoors in.
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