A NEW CHAPTER - 'HIS LEGACY WILL BE HELPING TO SAVE THE PLANET'

AS THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE APPROACHES HIS MILESTONE 40TH BIRTHDAY, A NEW BOOK REVEALS A MAN WHO IS SET TO MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

- KIRSTEN JONES

For some men, turning 40 is a time to purchase a shiny red Ferrari and seek out wild adventures. For the Duke of Cambridge, as he looks ahead to his birthday on June 21, it heralds more significant changes – on the home front and beyond.

In fact, William and his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, along with their three children Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, seven and Prince Louis, four, may be on the move!

Having raised their royal brood in the comfort of Kensington Palace and at their country pile, Anmer Hall in Norfolk, the family are reportedly venturing west of London, taking them closer not only to the Queen at Windsor, but to William's in-laws, the Middletons, in Bucklebury village, Berkshire.

Princess Diana with a young Prince William

Robert Jobson, author of William At 40: The Making Of A Modern Monarch, believes that a new home, with Kate's parents – in particular Carole Middleton - nearby, could prove a great source of comfort for the future heir during what has been a rather tumultuous time for the monarchy.

"Carole has been an important figure for William since he met her, simply because she's given him that motherly presence that he no longer has," explains Robert, referring to the tragic death of William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales when he was 15.

"He was surrounded by love as a child, but also servants - it was a different way of living. He had a happy childhood but he came from a broken home," adds Robert, who recalls William describing the Middletons as the family he never had and their home as a relaxed sanctuary.