William, Kate to move in Diana's old palace

LONDON. November 7. KAZINFORM Prince William and his wife Catherine have chosen an apartment in Kensington Palace, famously associated with the prince's mother Diana, as their London residence, royal officials said on Sunday; Kazinform refers to China Daily.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, whose April wedding was watched around the globe, are to move into the west London palace in mid- to late-2013, their St James's Palace office said.

They have chosen Apartment 1A - the former home of the late princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's sister. They will not be able to make the move for two years as structural repairs must first be completed.

At the moment their London base, Nottingham Cottage, is already in the palace grounds but the move will take them into the grander surroundings of Kensington Palace itself.

The move is a return for William, 29, to his childhood home - the palace was the main residence of the second in line to the throne and his brother Prince Harry, 27, until 1998.

Mourners left a sea of flowers and tributes at the gates of the 17th-century palace after the death of princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997.

William and Catherine, also 29, are mainly based on the island of Anglesey in northwest Wales at the moment, where the prince is a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot.

Harry will take over Nottingham Cottage when the royal couple move into the palace proper.

The trio's offices will also move with them from their current location at St James's Palace. The queen and William's father Prince Charles have approved the moves.

Anyone fancying a peek at William and Catherine's apartment has the chance to see a section of it, which is being used for a public exhibition until September 2012; Kazinform cites China Daily.

To learn more go to www.chinadaily.com.cn