Where will William and Kate call home?

Despite the array of luxurious accommodation available to them, Prince William and Kate Middleton will begin married life in a farmhouse on a quiet rural island off the coast of Wales, Prince Charles’s office has announced.

Close to where William is currently serving in the RAF, the couple have actually been living together for several months. Their home is on the island of Anglesey, which lies off the northwest tip of Wales.

Locals remain tight-lipped about the exact location, despite the couple spending time at a local pub and making weekly shopping trips to the supermarket.

With its sheep population outnumbering its human population, the picturesque location is already popular with tourists. No doubt locals hope their peaceful, rural island will remain that way.

Prince William has asked that the couple be given privacy for the first couple of years of their marriage while they live quietly in Wales.

The Daily Mail in the UK says that “they are currently staying in a rented whitewashed farmhouse for which William pays £750 a month”.

Apparently the royal family have “sought legal help in protecting the location of their love-nest”, though The Daily Mail says “it is well off the beaten track”.

The low-key couple have “stunning views of Snowdonia and access to a private beach”.

Clarence House, London

The newlyweds will also have an official London residence, in the form of an apartment in Clarence House, presumably the one William currently occupies.

As it is also the official London residence of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry, there will be plenty of family around.

Built between 1825 and 1827, Clarence House is very much a home, and is the last remaining great London house still in use as a private residence.

The house has four storeys, not including attics or basements, has access to a private garden and has undergone extensive remodelling and reconstruction over the years, so the couple should be very comfortable.

Harewood Park, Herefordshire

Rumour has it that Prince Charles has been planning a country home for William and Kate once William ends his time with the RAF.

He and Kate will move into the planned six-bedroom house at Harewood Park in Herefordshire, according to the Daily Mail.

Bought by the Duchy of Cornwall, which provides Prince Charles with his annual income, the estate covers 450 hectares of prime countryside.

In line with his father’s green principles, William’s new home will be built with every eco-friendly mod con available, including rain water collection, a reed-bed sewage system, wood-chip boiler, solar panels and walls lined with insulating sheep’s wool.

Oak from Herefordshire will be seasoned and sawn locally for joinery and fencing, while recycled slate will cover roofs on the estate.

An old sandstone quarry within the estate has even been re-opened to provide locally sourced building and restoration materials.

The multi-million-dollar neo-Georgian manor house will boast two grand reception rooms, an orangery and even its own restored chapel, once finished. There will also be a drawing room, study, kitchen, pantry and boot room.

Along with the new main residence, there are plans to rebuild eight additional dwellings as well as numerous offices in a combination of residential and workplace facilities for up to 100 people.

Quite a change from the private, rural retreat on Anglesey.

Highgrove House, Gloucestershire

Duchy Home Farm, on which Highgrove House sits, is made up of parkland surrounded by woods.

The house was built in built in 1798 and has been rebuilt over the years after a number of fires.

The organic farm is primarily raising beef cattle and rare native breeds of UK sheep and pigs but also supplies 140 local families with fresh veggies.

Growing up William and Harry spent their weekends here with Charles and Diana before they divorced. According to Wikipedia the boys had ponies there.

Prince Charles now lives there with his wife, The Duchess of Cornwall.

According to the Duchy’s website the “gardens at Highgrove and the Duchy Home Farm are flagship examples of the organic movement”.

The house itself uses a specially built reed bed sewage system, to treat all of Highgrove’s waste. Rare trees and plants as well as heritage seeds are a feature of the estate.

It will be some time before this residence is vacant although family weekends are certainly on the cards.

St James’s  Palace, London

This historic palace was built by King Henry VIII, is one of London’s oldest palaces and is still the home of several members of the royal family.

Much of the red-brick building erected by Henry VIII survives today, including the gatehouse, some turrets and two surviving Tudor rooms in the state apartments.

Henry VIII and Queen Anne (Boleyn) stayed at the palace the night of their coronation. Lover’s knots with their initials were carved onto stone fireplaces in the state apartments before Anne met her sad fate at Henry’s hands.

Kings and Queens called St James’s Palace home for more than 300 years before Queen Victoria made Buckingham Palace the official residence of the Sovereign in 1837.

The building also contains the offices of Prince William and Prince Harry and is often in use for official functions; it is not open to the public.

A palace built by the notorious Henry VIII may not be an ideal home for a couple hoping for a long and happy marriage.

Kensington Palace, London

Kensington Palace was built in 1605 and owned by royalty since 1689, it is where Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales lived following their wedding.

One of the apartments, number 10, had a market value rent of £120,000 per year in 2008.

The Princess of Wales lived there following her divorce from Charles in 1996, up until the time of her death, a memorial to her is located at the palace.

With its long passageways and numerous gardens, Kensington Palace is said to be “a paradise for children”, according to Yahoo News.

Despite this, memories of the unhappy years his parents spent together may not bode well for this residence either.

Windsor Castle, Windsor

Originally built by William the Conquerer around 1066, Windsor Castle has been a royal home and fortress for more than 900 years and is an official residence of the Queen. It proudly bears the title of the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world.

The castle covers an area of 12 hectares and has 1000 rooms. It is estimated to be worth $279 million. A devastating fire in 1992 caused extensive damage and by 1997, when restoration was complete, the bill had reached a total of £37 million.

The Queen usually spends the weekend there and also undertakes certain formal duties in its public rooms.

William and Kate will find state apartments furnished with some of the finest works of art from the Royal Collection.

With seating for 160 guests in St George’s Hall, William and Kate could throw some memorable parties here, although it may be some time before it becomes vacant.

Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Balmoral Castle on the Balmoral Estate is the private residence of the Queen.

The estate covers 20,000 hectares of heather-clad hills, ancient woodland and is located close to the beautiful River Dee.

Built and loved by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Balmoral Castle has remained a favourite residence for the Queen and her family during the summer holiday period in August and September.

William and Harry were holidaying there when their mother died after a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

Memories associated with the sad days spent there, following that event, may make it a less attractive home for William.

Buckingham Palace, London

Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837 and today is also the administrative headquarters of the monarch.

The Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 state rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. The building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.

UK home valuation site Zoopla.co.uk estimated that in 2008 palace was worth close to £1 billion.

The main entry into the palace is via the imposing Grand Hall and up the curving marble steps of the Grand Staircase.

The British Government provides £15 million every year for the maintenance of the palace, according to Wikipedia.

More than 50,000 people visit the palace each year as guests to banquets, lunches, dinners, receptions and the royal garden parties.

So again, not exactly a private existence. But by the time they move in, Kate will probably be used to the idea of sharing her home with hundreds of staff and tens of thousands of visitors.