There is no shortage of Royal Residences in the United Kingdom, from public palaces like Buckingham Palace to private estates like the Sandringham Estate, but what about the lesser known properties part of the Crown Estate? This post explores both outside and inside Fort Belvedere, hidden in the depths of Windsor Great Park:

Fort Belvedere is a fifty-nine acre estate within the grounds of Windsor Great Park. The property is part of the Crown Estate and has housed a number of royals over the centuries including, most recently, The Duke of Windsor. After life as a folly for the youngest son of King George II, a day lodge for King George IV, and a tea house for Queen Victoria, the property was eventually extended and transformed into a grace-and-favour home for the Equerry and Comptroller of the Household to Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur. After a period of disuse, the fort was eventually gifted to Prince Edward by his father King George V.

Prince Edward lived at the property from 1929 until his abdication as King Edward VIII in 1936. During his tenure at Fort Belvedere, the estate was significantly renovated with the inclusion of a outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, stables, central heating, a steam room and the addition of en-suites added to most bedrooms. The renovations totalled £1.4 million (in 2020’s money) and amounted to 30-40 rooms within the house. Eventually, in 1953 the son of Mary, Princess Royal and Henry Lascelles (6th Earl of Harewood); Gerald Lascelles, moved into the the house. At this point the house had deteriorated significantly after nearly two decades unoccupied. Lascelles updated the home, reducing the number of rooms to the “equivalent of an eight-bedroom house, including quarters for three or four staff.

In 1976, after Gerald Lascelles’ divorce, the remaining 78 years of the lease went up for sale. The listing noted that the house was made up of a ‘Hexagonal central hall, fine drawing room, dining room, library, compact domestic quarters, 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, arranged mainly in suites’ along with three cottages including the swimming pool and tennis court. 

After the estate was sold to the son of a Dubai Emir, the lease was then acquired by British-Canadian billionaire Galen Weston who has lived in the property with his wife since the early 1980s. The Westons also renovated the property, including the construction of a polo stud and extending the size of the estate’s lake as part of Rosemary Verey’s landscaping. The Westons have breathed life back into the property and have hosted numerous parties including a 2012 birthday party which was attended by Queen Noor of Jordon, Princess Caroline of Monaco and Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Today the property features extensive gardens including 120ft borders at the base of the battlements, formal gardens, a rose garden, walled garden, kitchen garden, large greenhouse, grooms cottage, garden cottage, stables, garages, two tennis courts, 460ft-long allée, two long sweeping driveways, two lakes, paddocks, numerous lawns and a turning circle.

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See in-depth archival photographs from inside Fort Belvedere at the Royal Collection Trust’s webpage here.

To view more recent colour photographs of Fort Belvedere‘s interiors, you can buy the 1988 tome Rooms: Design and Decoration by designer John Stefanidis, which, according to a top tip by Scene Therapy reader; James, features several images of the decors commissioned by the most recent tenants; Mr and Mrs Weston. The book is available in hardback and paperback (used, for as little as £5.20):

See more royal residences by browsing the ‘Royalty‘ tag.

images: google maps