Prince George and Charlotte enjoy playing in treehouse from William and Harry’s childhood
The quaint cottage in the trees at Highgrove was built for Prince William and Prince Harry in 1989 who would have been aged around 7 and 5 respectively. William’s kids Prince George, 5, and Princess Charlotte, 4, are said to have already tried the treehouse, which was recently re-thatched, out. And their brother Prince Louis and cousin Archie, the royal baby son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, will join them when they’re older. The treehouse is named Hollyrood House, a play on the Queen’s Holyrood Palace in Scotland and the holly tree it was built in and is hidden away in an area of the garden known as The Stumpery, because of its layers upon layers of old tree stumps and logs.
Well-placed royal sources previously revealed Charles regularly enjoys picnics in the gardens with George and has even bought him a tea set, complete with plastic cups, to play with.
George is said to be particularly taken with the spectacular treehouse.
The quaint treehouse was designed by William Bertram and was installed at Highgrove just in time for William’s seventh birthday.
Mr Bertram asked to interview Harry and William about what they wanted and William told him: “I want it to be as high as possible so I can get away from everyone and I want a rope ladder which I can pull up so no-one can get at me.”
The tree house has since been re-sited after the holly tree died and is now held up by slate towers.
A trap door used by both William and Harry has also been removed and instead, a new entrance has been fitted featuring a holly leaf-shaped door.
Their mother Kate has previously revealed how much George and Charlotte like being outside and most recently on CBBC flagship show Blue Peter, said she takes them out “rain or shine”.
Another favourite spot of George’s – and likely Princess Charlotte’s too – is a shepherd’s hut given to his grandfather to mark his first birthday in 2014.
Fashioned out of corrugated iron, the hut took Richard Lee of Dorchester-based Plankbridge 250 hours to make.
Mr Lee told the Mail: “We crafted it for the prince with our most heartfelt thanks and feel very proud that Prince George is now playing in it.”
In 2015 one aide said: “The gardens at Highgrove have always been the prince’s passion but he has never lost sight of the fact that this is a family home where his children and now grandchildren play.
“He and Prince George have already spent some very happy times here together and will no doubt spend many more.”
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis showed their love of the outdoors as their mother Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, showed them around a garden she co-designed for the Chelsea Flower Show.
Footage shared on the Cambridges’ social media accounts revealed Prince Louis is already walking as Kate’s youngest totted towards the camera in an adorable video.
Meanwhile, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were seen enjoying a water feature as the pair sat on a bridge over a small stream.
George was also filmed playing on a swing that featured in the garden.
On Friday Prince Charles released pictures of inside the Highgrove Gardens to mark 25 years of being open to the public.
The royal gardens are open to the public for guided tours on selected dates between April and October each year.
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