With child coming, it’s off to the suburbs for Harry, Meghan

LONDON – Like many a couple before them, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are moving to the suburbs ahead of the anticipated birth of their first child.

Officials said Saturday that Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will move from Kensington Palace in central London to Frogmore Cottage, a house on the grounds of Windsor Castle, early next year.

The couple, who married in a chapel on the Windsor Castle grounds in May, is expecting their first child in the spring. Windsor is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) west of central London.

The palace statement said that "Windsor is a very special place for their royal highnesses and they are grateful that their official residence will be on the estate."

Windsor Castle is also one of Queen Elizabeth II's favourite homes. It is surrounded by horse country where she used to ride frequently in her younger days, and she is known to prefer the castle and its environs to Buckingham Palace, her more formal official residence in central London.

Harry and Meghan have been living at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace since announcing their engagement last year. They will keep their office at Kensington Palace, which is also home to Prince William and his wife Kate.

The move means that William and Harry will no longer be living in close proximity to each other now that Harry is starting his own family.