William hunting for 5 m honeypad in US

If William does buy a luxury hideaway, he could turn it into a love nest with his girlfriend Kate Middleton.

Their on-off relationship has become serious again and she could end up working in America for a year, the Daily Star reported.

In fact, Middleton has an offer from Vogue boss Anna Wintour to take a sabbatical in New York while serving an internship on the magazine’s staff.

But it also has a thriving west coast bureau and a temporary move to California may be far more appealing.

A source close to the royals said: “Her apparent lack of direction has become a stick with which people are beating her. So, it would make sense for Kate to move to Malibu when William finds a place to buy. He’d have his investment, she’d be there looking after it and she would also have a steady job that would keep her critics quiet.” The Prince had hoped to keep his house-hunting mission a secret, said Los Angeles property market analyst Ruth Ryon.

The news was leaked after he missed out on the Malibu home. But she said: “The Prince’s house-hunt has been far more dignified than that of David Beckham a couple of years ago, when rumours were rampant about what and when he would buy.”

PTI