Prince William has opened up on “making a home” with Princess Kate when they first moved to Wales just weeks after the pair settled into Forest Lodge.
He delivered a speech in front of 300 delegates from 25 countries who were attending the Wales Investment Summit.
The audience included Chancellor Rachel Reeves during the one-day summit at the International Convention Centre in Newport.
The prince spoke fondly of Wales revealing: “Wales was the first place Catherine and I made our home together – on the island of Anglesey.
Prince William revealed his fond memories from his time in Wales
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“When you make a home in Wales, you join a family of three million people, and the sense of warmth and belonging is what makes Wales unlike anywhere else.
“’I am pleased to be continuing the work of my father, the King who over half a century ago, personally encouraged the co-founder of Sony to open its first European factory here in Wales.”
The 43-year-old went on to tell investors that Wales was an ideal location for “cutting-edge technology, research, innovation and a skilled workforce”.
He continued: “I believe that we have reached a significant moment for Welsh investment.
“An opportunity defined not by the challenges we collectively face, but by extraordinary possibility.
“One of Wales’s greatest strengths is the way industry, academia, and government work together.
“Not in isolation, but as part of a single, connected community. It is collaboration at its very best. Practical, purposeful, and grounded in trust.
Prince William was speaking at an investment summit in Wales
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He went on to say: “Wales is a place where cutting-edge technology, research, innovation and a skilled workforce come together in a single, coherent ecosystem across many different industries.
“It is my honour to play my part in championing the dynamic nation Wales is today as we look to the future.”
Forest Lodge has a vast history; until 1937, it housed the Deputy Ranger of the Windsor Home Park estate, a role currently held by Paul Sedgwick. The official Ranger of Windsor Great Park is King Charles III.
The confirmation that the Prince and Princess of Wales would be moving into Forest Lodge came with the news that two families living in cottages nearby would have to leave.
The cottages originally acted as stables for Forest Lodge, but later housed two separate families. Despite being asked to leave for security reasons, these two families were offered accommodation elsewhere on the Windsor estate.
George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven, have remained in Lambrook School as Forest Lodge is only a nine-minute drive away from their previous home, Adelaide Cottage.
GB News’ Royal Correspondent Cameron Walker discussed the news that William and Kate want Forest Lodge to be their “forever home”.
He said: “It’s inside the Windsor Great Park area, but it’s not in the Windsor Castle, so-called Ring of Steel. So it’s not automatically protected by Metropolitan Police, which means that extra taxpayer money potentially needs to be spent on making the property secure.
“Apparently the Prince and Princess want it to be their forever home. Some see that as controversial.” Anne Diamond quipped: “Well, they can’t have a forever home, can’t they?”
Agreeing, Cameron continued: “Because one day William will be King. And the idea is, according to sources close to them, that Prince William will want to continue living in that property as King.”