ISLAND Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2022 they moved from London’s Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage, a 200-year-old historic pink residence on the Windsor Home Park estate in the royal city of Windsor.

To Adelaide Cottage was the couple’s first choice when looking for a permanent home to settle down with their three young children, Princes George, Charlotte and Louis. Frogmore House, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lived for a short time, was among others considered, but the couple believed it would cost too much to renovate into a family home, according to the Sun.

The property consists of Adelaide Cottage and Adelaide Lodge and is undeniable the most aesthetically beautiful residence in the royal estate. The four-bedroom home is a “grace and favour” property, meaning the Queen was free to rent it out to whomever she pleased.

A previous resident included King George VI’s knight, Peter Townsend, whose relationship with Princess Margaret in the 1940s and 1950s caused a sensation at the time.

The property sits at the heart of the Crown Estate’s 655 acres of private royal parkland and includes the lodge – a double-fronted red brick with towering chimneys and a stucco front house. The original terrace still stands today, as do the manicured gardens which they have stood almost untouched for almost 200 years.

“Dad and I went to Home Park to have tea at Adelaide Cottage, which (the Queen Mother) has lent to Jackie and Joan Phillips during the war,” wrote Alathea Fitzalan Howard, a close friend, in her diary of the late Queen Elizabeth. and Margaret when they were young. “I was fascinated by it. It usually represents that idea of ​​a small world within a world of itself which is so characteristic of Windsor Castle and its surroundings.”

Life at Windsor

The idyllic home gives the family more freedom and a sense of privacy, something that has become even more important to the family in recent months following Kate’s health trials. The Princess of Wales returned to Adelaide Cottage after abdominal surgery in January 2024 at the London Clinic and will continue his recovery there as he receives cancer treatment.

In March 2024, Princess Kate announced her cancer diagnosis from Windsor Gardens with daffodils – the national flower of Wales and symbol of many charitable cancer organizations – in the background.

For the past two years, Adelaide Cottage has become home to the family of five. All three Welsh children are pupils at Lambrook School Berkshire countryside and keen equestrians. Prince George and Princess Charlotte are said to have taken advantage of the proximity to Windsor Castle’s stables.

The family can live a (relatively) normal life in the area, visiting favorites such as Windsor Farm Shop, where the Prince and Princess of Wales were recently spotted, and LaplandUK, a Christmas-themed park in nearby Ascot, where the family enjoys their holidays .

Their new home is closer parents of Princess Kate, Michael and Carole Middleton, who lives at Bucklebury Manor in Berkshire. While they have settled in well, the house has been a big change for the family members, who were used to the 20-room flat 1A in Kensington.

The Story of Adelaide Cottage

Adelaide Cottage was built in 1831 as a summer retreat for Queen Adelaide, who first occupied it on her birthday on 13 August that year. It originally consisted of two main rooms with additional rooms for the queen and her servants. The Mirror praised the building’s design at the time, writing: “It has none of the imposing splendor of palatial architecture, but much of the picturesque elegance of the ornate order of domestic architecture of the old English school.”

The architect and garden designer Sir Jeffry Wyatville, who designed the cottage, came from a great architectural dynasty. A nephew of architects Samuel and Joseph Wyatt, Wyatville – who changed his name in 1824 – worked on the renovation of Windsor Castle, beating architect John Nash (known for Buckingham Palace and the Pavilion Royal in Brighton) for the order.

The architect added turrets, turrets and parapets, giving the castle its Gothic appearance. He was also responsible for the impressive Waterloo Chamber, which features portraits commissioned by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Wyatville was noted for his additions and renovations and also completed the alterations to Chatsworth House.

The scandalous past

In 1941, Adelaide Cottage became a “house of grace and favor”, the term for properties owned by the monarch and let – often rent-free – to members of the royal family or servants. One of its notable residents was Squadron Leader Peter Townsend, who was given the house to live in with his young family by King George VI in 1945.

As “The Crown” fans well know, Townsend, who also worked as stable master for the King and Queen Elizabeth II, later had an ill-fated affair with Princess Margaret. In his autobiography “Time and Chance”, Townsend notes that the house had only two heating springs and it was a “freezer box” in the winter.

The TV series ‘The Crown’, which is shown on Netflix, brought it back to the fore Princess Margaret’s illicit love, sister of Queen Elizabeth of B’ with Squadron Leader Peter Townsend. In 1951, 22-year-old Princess Margaret had an affair with married squire Peter Townsend, who was 16 years her senior.

A year later and after the death of King George VI of the United Kingdom, Townsend decided to divorce his wife and propose to Princess Margaret. Despite his very good professional position, royal protocol was against this marriage Townsend was divorced with two children.

Resting place of Queen Victoria’s favorite dog

In October 1975, Adelaide Cottage was listed as a listed building on the National Heritage List for England, which designates buildings of architectural or historical interest. His listing describes it as graphic and mentions it Greco-Egyptian marble fireplace and the stucco facade, etc

When Queen Victoria’s beloved dog Charles Spaniel died in 1840, she buried him at Adelaide Cottage. His grave is marked by a marble effigy which reads: “Here lies Dash, Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s favorite spaniel. In his 10th year his attachment was selfless, his play without malice, his faithful without deceit, Travelers, if you want to be loved in life and after death, take advantage of Dash’s example.