Prince William shares shut name with vacationers whereas ‘not absolutely dressed’ at Highgrove House
“I remember several times when I would wake up, open the curtains and have to hit the floor and hurriedly close them, because I was not fully dressed,” Prince WIlliam recalled
Prince William recalled a close-encounter with tourists(Image: Matthew Horwood, Getty Images)
Prince William has shared an account of his awkward interaction while at his father’s stunning country residence. King Charles’s Highgrove House sits among celebrated gardens and while a private residence, it doubles as a major tourist attraction, welcoming around 40,000 visitors annually.
The future King of England guest-edited the November 2026 issue of Country Life magazine and has shared his experience of staying in Highgrove House. He also detailed his close encounter with tourists.
“Living in a private house that was surrounded by a working public garden, which was constantly being developed and nurtured by my father — as well as being open to members of the public and therefore pretty busy — could be quite difficult,” Prince William recalled to the magazine.
Prince William has guest-edited a special edition of Country Life Magazine(Image: ANDREW PARSONS / KENSINGTON PALACE / COUNTRY LIFE)
“I remember several times when I would wake up, open the curtains and have to hit the floor and hurriedly close them, because I was not fully dressed and there were people outside who could see straight into my bedroom window!” he said.
Prince William’s guest-edited issue of Country Life, released on November 11, includes details of his love of the countryside, which he called “a place of escape for children, a place of peace and tranquillity”.
The issue also includes a stunning image of a kingfisher by his 13-year-old son, Prince George, as well as an interview with his wife, Kate Middleton, in which she talks about nature and its role in her cancer journey and recovery, PEOPLE reports.
Highgrove is known for its impressive “interlinked” gardens(Image: Getty)
The residence boasts nine bedrooms and was used as weekend and holiday retreat for Prince William and his brother Prince Harry, who spent time there with their parents, King Charles and the late Princess Diana.
Harry wrote in his 2023 memoir that he and William transformed an underground bomb shelter beneath Highgrove into a secret teenage hideaway, which they named Club H.
Princess Diana with young Prince Harry at Highgrove House(Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
“When I wanted solitude, what better than a bomb shelter in the middle of the British countryside? Willy felt the same. I often thought he seemed more at peace down there than anywhere else on earth,” the Duke of Sussex wrote.
Highgrove House also has four main reception rooms. It was the backdrop for King Charles’ reunion with Meghan Markle and his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet over the summer after not seeing them in person for four years.
