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

The Prince and Princess of Wales are fortunate to have more than one property to spend their time in, but since 2022, their primary residence has been Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.

Nestled in a leafy corner of Windsor Great Park, boasting more than 655 acres of land, William and Kate have made the charming cottage their home.

It's also convenient as it is near royal residence Windsor Castle and Lambrook School, where their three children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, are educated.

The royal couple decided to move to Windsor in search of a slower pace of life. They also wanted to move into a more modest home after spending a few years at their ten-bedroom home, Anmer Hall, in Norfolk.

William and Kate's home in Windsor offers them more understated living, thanks to its four bedrooms and homely comforts.

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The couple don't have live-in staff at home, contrary to how they lived at Anmer, and Kensington Palace before that.

Adelaide is a Grade-II listed building built in 1831 but most recently renovated in 2015. The property also has French windows, fireplaces, a covered veranda, gingerbread trim and a candy-pink exterior.

But how much might the royal couple's household bills be? HELLO! spoke to property and renovation experts to find out what the house could be costing the Prince and Princess of Wales on a monthly basis.

The Prince and Princess of Wales's monthly bills explained

Sam Williams, Regional Partner at Garrington Property Finders, spoke to HELLO! and noted how, although Adelaide is "tiny" by royal standards, the cost of living there "would be in a different league" versus similar-sized detached family homes not on royal grounds.

"Even imagining an alternate reality in which Adelaide Cottage wasn't part of the Crown Estate, a house that size near Windsor could easily fetch £1.75m on the open market," Sam explained.

In terms of what the royal couple could be paying per month in terms of maintenance and household bills, Sam stated that it's difficult to estimate from afar, however, "at nearly two hundred years old the Grade II-listed home may not have the best insulation - and this is a key determining factor in heating costs.

"Its rural location means that Adelaide Cottage would almost certainly have originally been heated with oil. A house of this size and age might typically use between 3500 and 4000 litres of oil per year. Heating oil prices fluctuate, but at today’s prices this would cost around £2500 per year."

However, what is known for certain is that the Prince and Princess of Wales are keen to lessen their footprint on the planet, and while the details of the previous renovation are unknown, it's likely the heating system would have been modernised with eco-friendly systems.

"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."

HELLO! also spoke with John D Wood & Co's Country House Manager, Claire Carter, who stated that, generally, the upkeep of an old home such as a royal residency comes at a huge cost.

"One of the biggest costs is ensuring the buildings stay true to their heritage while also meeting modern standards of health and safety. For example, updating heating systems or installing modern plumbing, where every alteration needs to be carefully considered."

Claire continued: "The sheer scale of royal estates means upkeep is almost constant. One of the less understood challenges is protecting these properties from environmental wear and tear — things like damp and structural damage are common problems in older buildings, especially those built with traditional materials that may date back hundreds of years."

Prince William and Kate's strive for eco-friendly living at Adelaide

Prince William gave an insight into how the family of five live on a day-to-day basis at the cottage, though notably with the environment in mind rather than to keep costs down.

Appearing at the Earth Shot Prize Ceremony in Cape Town recently, the Prince of Wales told the BBC how the family makes personal efforts to limit their impact on the planet, including implementing small changes at home that make a difference.

"We go through all the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use and turning off lights when we leave the house and stuff like that.

"Which is sensible in what we do around the environment," continued the future King.

He added: "And I think every family has these conversations. You just try to do what you can."