The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a rare stamp duty on their new dream rental.
Prince William, 43, and Catherine, 44, have moved their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte,11 and Prince Louis, eight, into the mega-luxurious Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park last year.
William and Kate have paid a rare stamp duty on their new Windsor home. Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The eight-bedroom property, estimated to be worth $33 million, will serve as the family’s forever home, with the royal couple securing a 20-year lease on the mansion at market rent.
Before they moved in, the couple reportedly paid £42,000 ($78,000) in stamp duty, according to The Telegraph.
While stamp duty is a tax usually reserved for the purchase of a new property, in rare cases it can be charged for long-term or extravagant rentals – almost like a luxury tax.
The Prince of Wales reportedly paid the tax in July last year, the same day the lease was signed.
William and Catherine want to live in the sprawling home and adjoining gardens until at least 2045.
The eight-bedroom, six-bathroom home is a considerable step up from their previous home, Adelaide Cottage.
Forest Lodge is located within the 2020-hectare Windsor Great Park and is part of the Crown Estate – the name for a collection of land that is neither publicly nor privately owned, but is the property of the sovereign of the day, much like Buckingham Palace.
The Prince and Princess of Wales secured a 20-year lease on Forest Lodge. Getty
The eight-bedroom property was renovated a few years ago. PA Images via Getty Images
Photos from its last major renovation offer a glimpse of what awaits the Wales family when they move in.
Forest Lodge is a Grade II heritage-listed property, meaning it of intermediate historical or architectural importance, and requires planning permission for any significant alterations, including demolition.
It is a Georgian mansion, the style of which was popular between 1714 and 1830 when kings of that name ruled Great Britain.
The home was built in the 1770s. It was reportedly bought by a slave owner named Spencer Mackay in 1803 when it was then known as Holly Grove.
It was bought by the Crown Estate in 1829 when the Duke of Wellington was prime minister, and became the residence of the Deputy Ranger of Windsor Great Park until 1937, when King Edward VIII decided he wanted his equerry to live there.
Photos from 2001 reveal the home has at least two reception rooms, each with marble fireplaces.
Both King Edward VIII and one of his predecessors King George IV were said to admire the home.
The royal couple previously lived in Adelaide Cottage, also in Windsor. WireImage
The property, which by then had been renamed Forest Lodge, was enlarged some time in the early 1900s to include eights bedrooms, six bathrooms, a long gallery and a principal drawing room accessed from a central hall.
Other features include elaborate plaster cornices and ceiling decoration, Venetian windows and a half-barrel vaulted hallway ceiling.
Its exterior features Flemish-bond brickwork, a slate and tile roof and a mixture of bay and sash windows featuring gauged brick arches.
William and Catherine have moved in to Forest Lodge with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. Karwai Tang/WireImage
In 1988, the home was offered for rent on a 20-year lease. At the time, it had an estimated value of $6.2 million.
But just three years later, in 2001, the home underwent a $3.1 million renovation with the aim of restoring it to its former glory while conserving its period features.
At the time, the property was valued at $11.4 million and it was reported it would be available to rent later that year for an eye-watering $32,000 a month.
Rent collected will go to the Crown Estate, which in a roundabout way will go back to Prince William’s father King Charles via the Sovereign Grant.
Under the Crown Estate Act 2025, profits are delivered to the British Treasury, which then decides the annual payment to be made to the monarch of the day in the form of the Sovereign Grant.
And it seems the home is fit for a king, with sources saying the Prince and Princess of Wales plan to stay in the home even after William accedes to the throne.
