Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, have lived at Adelaide Cottage since August 2022. But George, Charlotte, and Louis have been at home without their mother for the last two weeks.
Kate has undergone her planned abdominal surgery, which left royal fans in shock when first announced. Luckily, the surgery went well, and the Princess of Wales has returned to Adelaide Cottage.
But should she really recover at home? According to a royal expert, Kate should think twice before returning home – and issues a warning.
On January 17, Kensington Palace released the statement that Kate Middleton was to undergo abdominal surgery. The palace said it was planned, and all her royal duties were put on hold.
Kate Middleton leaves hospital after surgery – reunites with children at Windsor
For the last two weeks, the Princess of Wales has stayed at The London Clinic, where doctors have kept a close eye on her, ensuring there wasn’t a setback with the surgery.
Prince William is said to have visited his wife every day. However, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis reportedly didn’t see her at all, since they had school and other activities. Though, they have reportedly kept in contact with their mother through Facetime.
On Monday, January 29, Kensington Palace shared the enjoyable news that Kate Middleton would finally leave The London Clinic and reunite with her husband and children at their Windsor home. The princess is said to be doing great and will continue to recover at home and won’t return to royal duty until after Easter.
“The Princess of Wales has returned home to Windsor to continue her recovery from surgery. She is making good progress,” Kensington Palace said in a statement Monday.
“The Prince and Princess wish to say a huge thank you to the entire team at The London Clinic, especially the dedicated nursing staff, for the care they have provided,” the palace said in a statement shared with HuffPost. “The Wales family continues to be grateful for the well wishes they have received from around the world.”
Royal sources say Kate Middleton’s return to official duties “will depend on medical advice closer to the time.”
When Kate Middleton gets home to Windsor, her family will support her a little extra throughout her recovery.
“Tigh-knit family” will care for Kate
Her parents, Michael and Carole, and her siblings, Pippa Matthews (née Middleton) and James, will help her in any way they can. Since they don’t live far away, her parents will certainly be able to help with their children, who have had sleepovers several times at their grandparents’ house in Berkshire.
But while William has visited his wife several times while at the hospital, neither Michael nor Carol (nor Kate’s siblings for that matter) were seen entering the hospital.
However, that didn’t mean they weren’t there. According to royal expert Sarah Hewson, Carole and Michael Midleton were, in fact, there.
“We haven’t seen them, but we saw William on the first day and then we didn’t see him again,” she said. “Now, there are multiple entrances where they are able to slip in and out but we do know Carole and Michael Middleton were on hand particularly to help out with the children where William is, perhaps, visiting his wife.”
“They’d be doing a drop-off or pick-up [at school],” she added.
The royal expert continued, describing the Mdidletons as a “tight-knit family.”
“..and they and close friends have been rallying round and will continue to do so because it’s going to be a long time before Kate is really back up on her feet. [It’s] major surgery that she’s been through and, you know, we’re not going to see her out on royal duties until April – so, more than two months,” she concluded.
Kate has returned to Adelaide Cottage, and their home has a long royal history. It was built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV. All building materials came from the Royal Lodge – where the disgraced Prince Andrew lives.
William and Kate live at Adelaide Cottage at the Windsor grounds
For decades, the house has been a popular retreat for many monarchs, and as per Town & County, Queen Victoria often had breakfast or tea at Adelaide Cottage. Moreover, Group Captain Peter Townsend, who had a love affair with Princess Margret, was once a resident.
In 2015, Adelaide Cottage underwent an extensive renovation. Before the renovation, many unique decorations were inside the house, but they were removed.
If things had turned out differently, other residents than William and Kate could have lived at Adelaide Cottage. In 2018, reports stated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle went to look at the house at the Windsor grounds but ended up living at Frogmore Cottage instead.
“The Queen has offered the Grade II listed property to the newlyweds as a gift,” and “the couple had been for a viewing, liked it, and will move in soon,” the Daily Mail reported.
We know what happened after that as Harry and Meghan decided to leave and move to the US. That made Adelaide Cottage available for other residents – and William and Kate moved there. Before their move in 2022, the couple and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, lived in apartment 1A at Kensington Palace.
According to royal reporter Victoria Murphy, William and Kate preferred a move to Adelaide Cottage because it “allows William and Kate the opportunity to offer their children a more rural upbringing away from central London and the hustle and bustle of Kensington Palace, which is a popular tourist attraction.”
“Kate and William were very keen for a modest home”
For many reasons, the Prince and Princess of Wales felt the move to Adelaide Cottage was perfect. One was that there didn’t have to be any significant renovations, and another was that they decided not to have staff live there.
“Kate and William were very keen for a modest home to start their new lives in Windsor,” a source told The Sun. “Adelaide Cottage fits the bill because it is a four-bedroom home and they do not need any more as they have no live-in staff. They were adamant they didn’t want anything too showy or anything that needed renovating or extra security so as not to be a burden on the taxpayer.
The source continued, “The added bonus is they can send George, Charlotte, and Louis to school together locally. The three children will enjoy running around and playing in the gardens, which is the kind of life they enjoy so much when at Anmer Hall.”
For Kate, recovering at home, far away from reporters, cameras, and photographers, and with his family close by, is the best possible outcome. Meanwhile, she is said to continue doing royal work from bed, which she has already done at the hospital.
However, staying at Adelaide Cottage might not be the best regarding her health. At least that is what royal correspondent Michael Cole is claiming.
Royal expert warns Kate Middleton of recovering at ‘cold’ Adelaide Cottage
Speaking with GB News, the expert claimed that recovering at Adelaide Cottage is the best regarding Kate being close to her family. However, because it’s rumored to be very cold inside, it may hinder her recovery.
“It’s not an absolutely ideal place. A former tenant of Adelaide Cottage was Mrs. Rosemary Townsend, the wife of Group Captain Peter Townsend, who famously had an affair with Princess Margaret,” Michael Cole said just a day after Kate’s surgery was announced.
“And [Mrs. Rosemary Townsend] wrote in her memoirs that it was the coldest place she’d ever encountered in the whole of her life. So maybe not the best place to start feeling better, particularly in this quite cold winter that we’re enjoying at the moment.”
As Kate leaves The London Clinic and returns to Windsor, Michael Cole warns Kate Middleton to avoid recovering at Adelaide Cottage.
Meanwhile, as her parents will support her, Cole concludes that the Princess of Wales might only stay home for a while.
“It was interesting there was no departure photo call and she’s gone off straight to Adelaide Cottage in the middle of Windsor Great Park to recuperate,” he told GB News.
“That, of course, is where her children are, they go to school locally and she’ll want to be there, but it’s not an ideal place for recuperatios. It’s not terribly big. In fact, there’s no room inside the house for the nanny; she has to live in an outbuilding.”
Michael Cole concluded, “Catherine’s parents have a larger house not far away in Berkshire, but she’s on the way to recovery.”
So how will Prince William care for his beloved wife while simultaneously driving his children to school and performing his royal duties?
Prince William to care for Kate Middleton at home
Speaking to the NY Post, Grant Harrold, who served as Charles’ butler for seven years during his lengthy time as Prince of Wales, said Kate’s return to Adelaide Cottage will fill a big “void.”
Meanwhile, he adds that Prince William is a “caring” and “loving kind of character,” and will care for Kate in the best way possible.
“Like any family, it’s always wonderful when a loved one is able to come back home. I’m sure the kids are really excited to have Kate back,” Harrold told The Post. “It will also be great for William because when your partner or your loved one isn’t home, it leaves a void.”
Moreover, Harrold says that Kate’s return will also mean that the family can finally return to normal, revealing that Prince William is great about caring for his wife.
“The fact that Kate is back home, behind closed doors, it’ll mean they’re able to return to some sense of normality,” the royal butler added. “He’s a very caring, very loving kind of character and I noticed that a lot when I spent time with them both back in the day,” Harrold recalled. “I’ve no doubt that wouldn’t have changed, William will make sure Kate is cared for and that she has a quick recovery.”
Grant Harrold added, “The sooner her recovery, I’m sure the sooner the pair will get back to carrying out their royal duties together, which is something that I think they enjoy. I think they’ll be keen to get back to normal with it. There won’t be a huge team there on hand. It’ll be her husband who’ll mainly be doing that, helping her to get back onto her feet.”
Please share this article to wish Kate a speedy recovery!