国际英语新闻:Prince William, Prince Harry to split royal household in weeks

LONDON, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Britain's Prince William and Prince Harry are set to split their household within weeks, according to The Sunday Times.

They are expected to "part ways formally to create separate courts" before the birth of Prince Harry's first child due in the spring, the newspaper said.

Prince Harry and Meghan will move to Frogmore Cottage near Windsor Castle, which is about 32 km west of their current residence at Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, it said.

Kensington Palace has been a residence of the British royal family since the 17th century. Prince Harry and Meghan have been living there along with Prince William and Kate since their engagement in late 2017.

Despite the move, the royal couple's office will continue to be based at Kensington Palace.

"It is thought courtiers hope a formal separation of their staff may help ease the reported tensions between the brothers and their wives," the Sunday Times reported.

The Telegraph said earlier that Frogmore Cottage will require significant security upgrades in order to safely house the royal couple as it has previously been very easily accessible to the public.

The renovation project of the property is estimated to cost between 2 million to 3 million pounds (2.58 million to 3.87 million U.S. dollars), a source told the Daily Mail.