It’s probably the story of the decade for Royal watchers with today’s announcement that Prince William will be getting married to Kate Middleton in 2011, a royal wedding for a future king doesn’t come along very often and all of the UK and much of the world will probably be watching the as yet unscheduled event next spring or summer. Not surprisingly the media that have gone into overdrive immediately but the story also holds some eco-friendly interest.

Architect's sketch of the holiday home for William and Kate

Prince William’s father (a keen environmentalist) has given approval to build an apparent ‘starter home’ for the royal couple upon the Harewood Park Estate which apparently will be eco-friendly. Construction on the six bedroom home is likely to begin later this year now that planning permission has been granted, the plans include incorporation of the most current green standards. The property will include a chapel plus a rainwater reservoir and stables. It won’t be the primary residence for the king to be but will serve more as a holiday residence to get away from London. The grounds are located in rural Herefordshire very close to the border with Wales, the location may well have been chosen to to its proximity to his father’s Highgrove House which sits in nearby Gloucestershire.

As for the home’s environmental standards it has an encouraging checklist that probably reflects great input from the Prince of Wales whose other passion along with the environment has been a long-standing interest in architecture. This being England there will be plenty of rain and a 200 L rainwater reservoir will recycle and then provide rainwater to the house and grounds, the property will also have an eco-friendly sewage system. Solar panels will provide water heating in the summer (on days when it doesn’t rain) while energy-efficient lighting and a boiler using wood chips from trees on the estate will also feature. Water saving and low-energy appliances will be included throughout the property which is designed to include a roof made from salvaged Welsh slate. Prince Charles also was part of the decision to downsize the home from nearly 15,000 ft.² to approximately 8500 ft.² to improve its energy efficiency.

I was left wondering if a home that is only in residence for brief periods of the year could truly be considered eco-friendly, however the expectation is that occupancy will be much much higher as it will serve a dual purpose as a rental property also. I hope that William and Kate will also make the time to fill the three recycling bins that also made the blueprint for their new home.