Inside Prince William and Kate Middleton's cosy family home once described as 'poky icebox'

Adelaide Cottage is the primary residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, and has been their main home since they moved out of Kensington Palace back in 2022

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.

Last October, not long after moving in, Kate went public with a cosy sneak peek of the inside of Adelaide Cottage to shout about Addiction Awareness Week. The video snippet, which saw some of it filmed in their living room, paraded a fuss-free yet chic cream sofa spruced up with pink, white, and red cushions, plus some lovely framed snaps of the family and neat houseplants jazzing up the backdrop. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, are believed to have filmed their congratulatory video message to Team GB following the Paris 2024 Olympics at their residence, set against a backdrop of beautiful roses and lush greenery in the garden. Initially, it was thought that the couple would move into the nearby Royal Lodge, which has been home to Prince Andrew for the past two decades.

The grand mansion, boasting around 30 rooms, is significantly larger than Adelaide Cottage and reportedly costs £400,000 annually to maintain. However, earlier this year, rumours circulated that the Duke, whose ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, resides in a separate wing of the lodge, had declined to relocate to Frogmore Cottage, previously inhabited by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Regardless, Prince William and Kate seem content with Adelaide Cottage, a property favoured by senior royals including Queen Victoria, who often enjoyed breakfast or afternoon tea there during her reign. Her cherished King Charles spaniel, Dash, is buried within the grounds, commemorated by a special plaque.

Prior to the Duke and Duchess's occupancy, the property was home to Simon Rhodes, son of Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, Margaret Rhodes, and Sir Hugh Roberts, former director of the Royal Collection. The most infamous and contentious figure to have resided there was Princess Margaret's paramour, Royal Air Force Group Captain Peter Townsend. He shared the home with his wife, Rosemary, and their offspring in the 1940s. The marriage ended in divorce by 1952, and soon after, Townsend popped the question to a youthful Princess Margaret, aged just 22. However, due to the antiquated 1772 Royal Marriages Act, the Queen denied her sister the right to wed Townsend, as he was a divorced man.

Townsend, who served as an equerry to King George VI, was less than impressed with his grace and favour home, once dubbing Adelaide Cottage an "icebox" on account of its scant two radiators. To make matters worse, the electricity, which was siphoned off from Windsor Castle, was notoriously feeble. One critic went so far as to describe the interior, with its Victorian wallpaper and bulky furniture, as "pokey and unattractive".

Fortune smiled upon William and Kate, however, as the Grade II-listed abode received a comprehensive makeover in 2015. This meant that the Duke and Duchess didn't need to undertake any significant redecorations before settling in. "It's cosy, it's not too vast and it feels like home," Katie notes. "It's perfect for raising a young family – and raising them the way Kate and William do, with a nod to their royal status, but a far greater nod to them being brought up in as ordinary and as normal a way as possible."

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William and Kate at home in Windsor, OK! Collector's Edition

As our future King and Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales could have had their pick of royal residences. But Adelaide Cottage, nestled in Windsor Home Park, has provided their family with a peaceful retreat – particularly as Kate has recovered from her chemotherapy treatment this year.

In this OK! collector's edition, we take a look at the home life William and Kate share with their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. With the help of royal biographers including Katie Nicholl and Duncan Larcombe, we delve into the couple's partnership and reveal how they are doing their utmost to protect their children as their family heals from one of the toughest years of their lives.

Click here to purchase your copy for £9.99.