Queen: Prince William and Kate read tributes at Sandringham

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Prince William and Princess Kate visited an Army centre in Surrey on Friday as they met troops who will be playing a role in the Queen’s funeral on Monday. The Prince and Princess of Wales spoke to the soldiers from Canada, Australia and New Zealand while at Army Training Centre Pirbright. The military holds a special place in William’s heart given he served in the RAF as a pilot. It was also during his time there that he and his wife lived in Anglesey while he was stationed there between 2010-2013.

Away from the limelight, it was a rare period where the couple could lead a quieter life. William and Kate were reportedly able to go to the local shops without royal staff present. After William completed his training, the couple then moved to a farmhouse in the hamlet of Bodorgan.

While William went to the RAF base, Kate was working from home as a designer and photographer for her parents’ website, Party Pieces. The rent at the property reportedly set them back £750 a month.

The house offered views of Newborough Forest, Llanddwyn Island and Snowdonia. It also had its own private beach.

Kate was often seen at local supermarkets, and William’s car was well-known in the area. They left Anglesey in 2013 shortly after the birth of their first child, Prince George.

At the time, William said: “This island has been our first home together, and it will always be an immensely special place for us both. Catherine and I look forward to returning again and again over the coming years with our family.

“I know that I speak for Catherine when I say that I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey.”

Years later, in 2020, Kate spoke candidly about her feelings of isolation after George was born. She said: “I was chatting to some of the mums, I had just had George and William was still working with search and rescue, so we came up here when George was a tiny, tiny little baby, in the middle of Anglesey.

“It was so isolated, so cut off, I didn’t have my family around me, he was doing night shifts, so if only I’d had a centre like this at a certain time.”

At the moment, William and Kate live in Kensington Palace. They moved there with their family in 2017. The Prince and Princess of Wales also have a home at Amer Hall in Norfolk.

The 10 bedroom house was gifted to the couple by the Queen in 2011. Before they moved in, the property underwent £1.5million worth of refurbishments. A new conservatory, a rerouted driveway, and completely overhauled interiors were completed with the help of designer Ben Pentreath.

Prior to the Queen’s death, there were reports that claimed William and Kate could move to Windsor to be closer to her. But this week, the Telegraph reported that the move will be delayed to avoid more “upheaval” for their children.

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The newspaper reported: “They have indicated to courtiers that they want to give their children a chance to settle into school and avoid any more upheaval for as long as possible.”

A source also said: “They won’t be starting from scratch when it comes to decisions on what happens to all of the royal properties because there have been lots of conversations about that over the years, but things can change when family dynamics are taken into account and they will want as little disruption to their children’s lives as possible right now.

“They are very happy right now at Windsor, and for the next decade or so, everything will be pretty much dictated by what is right for the children.”

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