The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to move their young family into the cottage closest to the Queen’s Windsor Castle home, as a new era of the royal court begins.

       The Cambridges will move to Adelaide Cottage this summer, ready for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to start at a new school in September.

       The decision comes after they considered a range of living arrangements for the next stage of their lives, with all three children in full-time school for years to come.

       It will take them closer to the Duchess’s family in Berkshire, as well as being within walking distance of the Queen.

       Importantly, it will allow the Duke to keep in close contact with his grandmother and her staff, with her Private Secretary and closest aides working from the Castle.

       The new home will also allow the three Cambridge children to spend time with their great-grandmother, and share her hobbies of horse riding and dog walking in the grounds.

       No live-in staff

       The Sun reported there will be no live-in staff, with any aides commuting to the house. The Duke and Duchess will pay rent on the Crown Estate property privately, it is claimed.

       Currently, the Duke of York has the most contact with the Queen, often visiting her at home to help in her older age.

       The Earl and Countess of Wessex also live nearby, with their children Lady Louise and Viscount Severn enjoying a close relationship with Her Majesty.

       The move to Adelaide Cottage will be a major transition for the Cambridges, cementing the royal court’s new centre at Windsor surrounding the Queen.

       The Cambridges are expected to retain their apartment and offices at Kensington Palace, where their staff are currently based and will remain.

       It is understood that their current country residence of Anmer Hall, where they are said to feel most at home in the Norfolk countryside, will also be kept on, used for some weekends and holidays with a view to the Duke and Duchess moving back in the long term.

       Adelaide Cottage, a four-bedroom home on the Windsor Estate, requires no renovations or extra security, falling under the high security of the wider estate.

       Relatively small by royal standards, the Cambridges will be the first members of the modern royal family to live there.

       Much loved by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

       It has recently been occupied by the families of Simon Rhodes, son of the Queen's cousin Margaret Rhodes, and Sir Hugh Roberts, former director of the Royal Collection.

       Its most famous resident was Peter Townsend who lived there from 1944 with his wife and two sons. He later struck up a relationship with Princess Margaret.

       The cottage, which also has a two-bedroom lodge next door, was built in 1839 and named in honour of Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV.

       It was much loved by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who would take their children there in the summer to enjoy private relaxation.

       In 1831, the home was described as “chastely elegant”, “un-ostentatious” with “delightful shade” and the “quaint elegance” of the Old English school.

       It is said to be a “stone’s throw” from Frogmore House, and near to Frogmore Cottage, which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to call their home in the UK.

       The couple stayed there with their two children Archie and Lilibet during the Platinum Jubilee.