William and Kate choose London home

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to make an apartment in Kensington Palace their base in the capital
12 April 2012

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to make the former home of Princess Margaret their permanent London residence, St James's Palace says.

William and Kate have chosen an apartment in Kensington Palace as the place that will become their base in the capital as they establish themselves as a married couple.

The royals will not move in for two years as structural improvements are needed to make the place habitable, including the removal of large amounts of asbestos and work on the heating and hot water systems and electrical wiring.

The plans, approved by the Queen and the Prince of Wales, signal the growing independence of William and his wife as their household will also follow them from their offices at St James's Palace to the historic building, which has been a royal residence since 1689.

In that year King William III and Queen Mary II bought Nottingham House, which was later re-modelled into Kensington Palace by Sir Christopher Wren, who created St Paul's Cathedral.

Margaret and Lord Snowdon lived in the apartment after they married in 1960 and it was around this time that the last major works were carried out on the rooms.

The Queen's sister stayed on after she divorced from her husband in 1978, and after her death in 2002 the home had a variety of uses.

The estimated cost of the structural improvements is not known as survey work has yet to be carried out but it will be met from the Government's Grant-in-Aid budget - provided to the Royal Household for the upkeep of royal residences - and the Sovereign Support Grant, which will replace the Grant-in-Aid from 2013.

At the moment the Duke and Duchess are living in another smaller property at Kensington Palace when in London and it is expected Prince Harry will move to this home, from an apartment at Clarence House, when the royal couple take up their new home.

William is an RAF Search and Rescue Force helicopter pilot, and when working lives in North Wales with Kate close to his RAF base.

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