Why the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are 'seriously considering' moving closer to the Queen

It's been a busy few weeks for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Between a rumoured royal promotion for Duchess Kate, and exciting back-to-school prep for their two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the royal couple have hardly stopped since returning from their secret summer break to the Isles of Scilly earlier this month.

And it doesn't appear that the couple plan on stopping any time soon, as reports circulate that the Cambridges are "seriously considering" a major move to Windsor to be closer to Her Majesty the Queen.

Moving from their current home on the Sandringham Estate to be nearer the Queen's Windsor Castle residence would fit in with Prince William having a more senior role in the Royal Family. Windsor is also within close proximity to London, where Prince George and Princess Charlotte attend school, and is close to Kate's family, who are based in nearby Bucklebury.

The couple are reportedly so set on a move to Windsor that a royal source told The Mail on Sunday that William and Kate are already "eyeing up" their accommodation options in the Berkshire town.

The Cambridges currently divide their time between their London base of Kensington Palace, where they have their offices, and their country residence of Anmer Hall in Norfolk, where they spent most of lockdown with their three children.

Their Norfolk home was a wedding present from the Queen, and suited the couple perfectly, as at the time William was a helicopter pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

But as William is poised to take on a more senior royal role, and the couple's children resume school at Thomas's Battersea, Norfolk is looking like an increasingly difficult commute for the family.

"Anmer Hall made sense while William was a helicopter pilot in East Anglia and it was useful for Christmases at Sandringham, but it doesn’t really work any more," the royal source told The Mail on Sunday. 

"It’s a little too far away for weekends, but Windsor is a perfect compromise. They are eyeing up options in the area."

There's also the fact that the Queen has been largely on her own since the death of her husband Prince Philip earlier this year. While the monarch has Prince Edward and Sophie close by at Bagshot Park, it's believed that the Cambridge's move would come as a comfort to the monarch.