Inside Prince William and Kate Middleton’s cosy family home once described as ‘poky icebox’
A quaint four-bedroom cottage nestled in the Home Counties is where you’ll find the Prince and Princess of Wales, who’ve chosen Adelaide Cottage as their primary digs — an unexpected home for a future king and his family. Tucked away on the expansive 655-acre Windsor Home Park and merely a stone’s throw, or a 10-minute stroll, from the majestic Windsor Castle, this low-key residence has been William and Kate’s stronghold since they bid adieu to their grand 1A Kensington Palace pad in 2022.
With three kids in tow — Prince George, aged 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6 — the couple found this relatively unostentatious retreat by Royal measures an ideal spot to nurture a young family, reports OK!. Their snug refuge has indeed hit the mark: “They are very, very happy there. Being able to live in the middle of Windsor Home Park, where they’re not overlooked and can come and go in complete privacy, makes the downsize from Kensington Palace worth it on every level,” shares Katie Nicholl, esteemed Royal author. “There’s not a huge amount of space, but Adelaide Cottage ticks all the right boxes.”
William and Kate reportedly relocated with the vision of providing the little royals a shade more normalcy, shielded from the gazes of some 400,000 annual visitors at Kensington Palace. An added bonus was the proximity to William’s grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, who regrettably passed just weeks following their move. Despite boasting only four bedrooms compared to the seven in Prince Andrew’s nearby Royal Lodge, the cottage is quite spacious for the family seeing as they don’t employ live-in staff, opting instead for aides who commute daily. “I think they surprised a lot of people when they moved there,” Royal expert Duncan Larcombe commented.
“There are plenty of other places they could have moved to, but Adelaide Cottage fits with their desire as parents to be a normal family, where there aren’t servants and they don’t have 30 rooms. William would much rather have his kids around him, in the rooms next door to where he’s sleeping.” The quaint home, recognisable by its pale pink walls, is nestled amongst mature trees and boasts excellent privacy, shielded by perfectly kept hedges which encircle the well-groomed gardens. This year, it has been a peaceful haven for Kate during her cancer treatment.
“Kate’s been able to go out for walks and enjoy the fresh air, rather than be cooped up in some draughty old palace in London,” Larcombe reveals. “She’s happy there, with her family around her.” A sweet new cottage gem on the market is boasting more than just charm; it’s a mere 15-minute car ride to Lambrook, where the kiddos go to school, and sits cozily under an hour from the Middleton fam base over in Bucklebury, Berkshire. Duncan chimed in with, “The proximity to the school and the proximity to Kate’s parents makes it absolutely ideal,” adding that “The kids spend a lot of time with their grandparents, and when William and Kate are both working, the Middletons can step in. That’s a huge advantage for any young family.”
This charming home, built back in 1831, celebrates its namesake Queen Adelaide, as she loved using it for her summer retreats. It’s crafted in the quaint ‘cottage orné’ style (that’s fancy French for ‘decorated cottage’), featuring eye-catching architecture like nifty twin chimneys perched atop stepped bases right at the south threshold, not to mention a snazzy porte-cochère to duck out of raindrops. And don’t forget about the attention-grabbing veranda round the east wing.
