A look at the home Prince William and Kate Middleton are staying in during lockdown

(Image credit: 2013 Indigo)

At the beginning of lockdown, Prince William, Catherine Middleton and their children Princes Louis and George and Princess Charlotte, moved out of their primary home in Kensington Palace, to stay at their country estate, Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

The beautiful Georgian building is part of the royal family's Sandringham estate, where the Queen spends Christmas, though at the moment she and Prince Philip are both self-isolating in Windsor.

It was given to the couple by the Queen as a wedding present in 2011, and that's where they initially lived when Prince William worked as a pilot for the East Anglia Air Ambulance (he quit in 2017). The couple then moved officially to London, though they often retreat back to Norfolk to enjoy the countryside.

In fact, quite a few of the children's official birthday portraits were taken there, giving us a brief glimpse of the property the past few years. Since the lockdown, we've seen a rare glimpse into the home, thanks to Zoom calls from William and Kate...

Outside Anmer Hall

(Image credit: 2013 Indigo)

This picture shows the back of the property, which features a big drive and plenty of space for the family and staff to park their cars. This is presumably the main entrance, as that's where the couple and their children stood to clap for carers. The other side of the property (the main picture) was probably most likely used back in the day and is a little more majestic, with huge windows overlooking the ground, and a formal entrance with white columns. If you look closely, you can also see a conservatory off to the side.

Anmer Hall gardens

We've been given a sneak peek at the property's gardens in some official family portraits shared by the Cambridges over the years, including their 2018 Christmas card.

Photo by Matt Porteous

Inside Anmer Hall

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have given many Zoom calls to charities from what appears to be their lounge at Anmer Hall. We don't see much of it, but it looks bright and airy, with cream walls and a tall wooden door.

In the BBC Documentary Football, Prince William and Mental Health, we did get a more detailed looked at the study. It has floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stacked with books (colour-coded it looks like), as well as patterned curtains and cream lamps. Cosy.

Meanwhile, we've had a sneak peek at the living space, through pictures Catherine has shared of her children over the years, including one of a baby Princess Charlotte in a checked chair, and another one of Prince George holding his baby sister on a cream sofa.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

Prince William and Kate Middleton

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge

Whether the couple hired an interior stylist or did all the decorating themselves, you can tell it's a bright and cosy space that isn't as formal as Kensington Palace (and perhaps even features burning scented Kate Middleton candles).

In any case, the perfect property to escape the hustle and bustle of the capital, whether there is a pandemic happening or not.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.