How much do Prince William and Princess Kate spend on heating in a year? Expert weighs in

Now that the cold is here to stay in the UK, you may be wondering how much royals spend a year on heating. An expert gives an estimate for Prince William and Princess Kate’s cottage.

Prince William Princess Kate heating
© Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Prince William Princess Kate heating
THE ROYAL HOME WITH THE HIGHEST VALUE

Following the major snowfall in several parts of the UK, many have been forced to turn their heating on to combat the cold—including members of the Royal Family.

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Have you ever wondered how much it costs to keep the royal residences warm? An expert weighed in on how much it would cost Prince William and Princess Kate to heat their 4-bedroom home, Adelaide Cottage.

How much would Prince William and Princess Kate spend on heating a year?

Hello! spoke with an expert on the matter. Sam Williams, of Regional Partner at Garrington Property Finders, explained that even though Adelaide Cottage is ‘small’ by royal standards, it is still much larger than your average British home.

Therefore, due to the size of the cottage, the cost of living in the cottage ‘would be in a different league’. Williams explains that it is hard to get a good estimate on the royal couple’s heating bill as we don’t know what type of heating they have.

As Adelaide Cottage is a Grade-II listed building, it means it is a very old home. Based on when it was built - 1831 - it is likely it was heated by oil. According to Sam Williams, it could cost around £2,500 per year at today’s prices. He estimates that the cottage could use between 3,500 and 4,000 litres of oil per year.

However, the home was renovated in 2015 and one of the things that may have been upgraded is the heating system as the Prince and Princess of Wales aims to reduce their carbon footprint. Meaning they likely installed more eco-friendly heating systems.

If that is the case, Williams estimates the couple spend between £1,100 and £1,300 per year on heating bills. He told Hello!:

The Crown Estate is committed to improving the environmental credentials of its properties. If [the renovation] included the replacement of the oil boiler with an air or ground source heat pump, it would be both greener and cheaper to heat, at between £1100 and £1300 per year.

Why did Prince William and Princess Kate move to Adelaide Cottage?

In case you missed the news, in 2022, Prince William and Princess Kate decided to move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, leaving behind Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Kensington Palace in London.

According to Hello!, the royal couple were searching for a slower pace of life. As a result, the family of five drastically downsized their home. Indeed, Anmer Hall boasted 10 bedrooms compared to the four at Adelaide Cottage.

Naturally, their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 7 and Prince Louis changed schools and now attend Lambrook School in Berkshire.

Moreover, per Town & Country, the Prince and Princess of Wales’ goal was to give their children as normal a family life as possible. The couple chose the countryside as it is less touristy than London and will give their three children a ‘more rural upbringing’, claims a Palace source.

It was also believed that the Wales family moved to Windsor to be closer to the late Queen Elizabeth, who sadly died on September 8, 2022, as well as Princess Kate’s parents, who live in Bucklebury, Berkshire.

Despite moving, the couple kept the apartment in Kensington Palace as their London home when in the capital for events and such. They have also kept Anmer Hall, per Town & Country.

A look inside Adelaide Cottage and its rich history

As you can probably guess, having been built in 1831, Adelaide Cottage has a deep and rich history. As reported by Town & Country, the cottage was originally built for Queen Adelaide, wife of King William IV.

According to The Royal Collection, it was built using material from the Royal Lodge, currently home to Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. Since its construction in 1831, it has been used by several royals.

Reportedly, Queen Victoria often visited the cottage for breakfast or tea. It was also famously used by Peter Townsend, who had a love affair with Princess Margaret.

The cottage is situated on the grounds of Windsor and is close to St George’s Chapel. Per Town & Country, it is around 25 miles from central London.

As mentioned above, the historic home underwent renovations in 2015. According to reports, the master bedroom’s ceiling is believed to have been covered with gilded dolphins and a rope decoration, which is originally from a royal yacht from the 19th century. The cottage’s master bedroom also has a marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace.

According to Hello!, the cottage’s original porch is still standing to this day and has remained almost untouched for 200 years. This porch was featured in the Princess of Wales’ Mother’s Day photo, which she publicly apologised for due to her editing.

The cottage’s other features include a gravel driveway, a red brick outbuilding and a gatehouse for a small security detail. The home also boasts French windows, fireplaces a covered veranda, gingerbread trim and a candy-pink exterior. The country home has two staterooms, a retiring room meant for the Queen and a servants’ room.

As per The New York Post, the cottage was built by architect Jeffry Wyatville and was described as ‘chastely elegant’.

Read more:

Prince William and Princess Kate reveal their children earn pocket money by doing 'normal chores'

Royal family: The reality of living in royal homes is not as glamorous as you think

If Prince Andrew is evicted from Royal Lodge, where would he live?

Sources used:

Hello!: ‘Princess Kate and Prince William's heating bills at Adelaide Cottage are in 'different league'

Town & Country: ‘Inside Adelaide Cottage, Prince William and Kate Middleton's Home in Windsor’

Hello!: ‘Princess Kate and Prince William's Windsor cottage is unrecognisable in ultra-rare photo’

The New York Post: ‘Inside Adelaide Cottage, where Prince William, Kate and kids will call home’

House & Garden: ‘Inside Adelaide Cottage, Prince William and Kate Middleton's Windsor Castle home since 2022’

Kate Middleton spotted in car with Prince William on his way to Commonwealth Day celebrations Kate Middleton spotted in car with Prince William on his way to Commonwealth Day celebrations