The late Queen had a special affinity with the Windsor Estate thanks to the fact that she lived there for her entire life both in the main castle itself and in Royal Lodge with her parents when she was young.
This favour does not seem to be felt by King Charles as it has been suggested he has no plans to move to the Berkshire Estate as he finds it "too noisy" due to its close proximity to Heathrow Airport. According to the Daily Mail's Richard Kay, the 1000-year-old castle is earmarked for The Prince and Princess of Wales who recently moved into the nearby Adelaide Cottage with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
While the late monarch spent over nine decades in Windsor, there are many residences on the estate which she never called home.
Fort Belvedere is located in Windsor Great Park (High Level/REX/Shutterstock)One of the multiple homes on the vast Berkshire estate that the late Queen never lived in is Fort Belvedere.
The unusual-looking Fort Belvedere is one such building that was the setting of one of the most historic moments in royal history that changed Her Majesty's life forever.
Meghan Markle 'to unleash her own memoirs' as Prince Harry's drops next week
Fort Belvedere was originally called 'Shrubs Hill Tower' and is a royal home that was built between 1750 and 1755 for Prince William Augustus and is located in Windsor Great Park. Completed in the architectural style of Gothic Revival, the home was fondly referred to as 'The Fort' by many members of the Royal Family.
The home was hugely expanded by King George IV who added an octagonal dining room, a three-storey annex and a large flag pole. The fort was later used by Queen Victoria as a tea house and allowed it to be open to the public in the 1860s.
The Queen's uncle lived at the home for many years (Getty)
King Edward VIII signed his abdication papers at the fort (2010 Getty Images)Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up .
While there was rarely a permanent resident for many years, in 1929 the fort found its most famous occupant and became the backdrop of one of the most famous moments in British history.
Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII and The Duke of Windsor) moved into the home and renovated it at a total cost of £21,000 (£1.49 million today).
He added many bathrooms, a steam-room, showers, built-in cupboards and central heating. The prince also refurbished the extensive grounds and had a swimming pool, a tennis court and stables built at the home.
Fort Belvedere is also where his scandalous romance with Mrs Wallis Simpson flourished and she moved in permanently in 1936.
Edward VIII lived at Fort Belvedere with Wallis Simpson (Bettmann Archive)When Prince Edward succeeded his father, King George V, in January 1936 he was quickly faced with the reality that he couldn't rule as The King and marry Wallis Simpson as she was a twice divorced American whose former husbands were both still alive.
The King announced that he would abdicate and his brother would rule as King George VI in his place, changing the fate of the Queen.
He held several meetings with Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin during the crisis but eventually signed his written abdication notices at the fort.
Harry and Meghan convinced 'royals were against them' after New Year photo snub
Once Edward moved out of the home, it was left unoccupied until 1955 when the Queen's cousin Gerald Lascelles moved in. The home was once again sold in 1976 and then leased to Canadian billionaire Galen Weston, who lived there until his death in 2021.
Fort Belvedere was suggested by experts as a possible home for The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis when rumours of their move to Windsor came into circulation.
Despite this, the family ultimately chose to move to the four-bedroom Adelaide Cottage. While the home is famous for being where Princess Margaret's fiancée Peter Townsend lived during his time in royal service, it is expected that the family-of-five will eventually relocate to Windsor Castle itself.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
