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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to make St James' Palace, formerly home to Princess Margaret, their new marital home .

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to make St James' Palace, formerly home to Princess Margaret, their new marital home

They will reside in an apartment to be devised after fairly substantial renovations have been completed so they may not be able to enjoy their new London pad for another two years. Structural work is needed to make parts are the palace habitable including the removal of large amounts of asbestos, work to the heating system, electrical wiring and hot water systems.

Since Princess Margaret passed away in 2002, the palace has served various purposes. Parts of the building have been used for storage, classrooms and offices. These parts will now be brought back to life for William and Katherine and their current residence at Kensington Palace will potentially be occupied by Prince Harry when he moves from his apartment at Clarence House.

The Government's Grant-In-Aid budget which is provided to the Royal Household for the upkeep of the royal residences and the Sovereign Support Grant will meet the costs of the renovation work.

A St James's Palace spokesman said to the BBC:

'A public exhibition in part of the apartment organised by Historic Royal Palaces is due to end in September 2012, at which point the apartment will be handed back to the Royal Household for structural works. The extent of the work needed to turn the apartment back into a home is not yet known, but it is expected that the apartment will not be ready for occupation until at least the middle of 2013.'

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