Adelaide Cottage Unveiled: Prince William and Kate Middleton's Once 'Poky Icebox' Has Now Become a 'Cozy' Royal Home
Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales' quaint Adelaide Cottage was once called a 'poky icebox,' but has become the 'special' retreat for the Wales family.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales' Windsor country home Adelaide Cottage has become a "special place" for the Wales family. Although small and "quaint," with only four bedrooms, which is small for a royal residence, Adelaide has become "for all intents and purposes, the Wales Family home."
Royal author Katie Nicholl shared, "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."
When it comes to official matters, Kensington Palace is still the official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. William and Kate have an expansive apartment within the grand palace, but the family "rarely ever uses it."
Although HRH was previously reported to have spent some of her immediate post-surgical recovery at the Windsor property earlier this year, the Wales household apparently moved to Anmer Hall due to its larger size.
Any renovation at Adelaide Cottage would typically be funded by British taxpayers, but the Prince of Wales is allegedly not keen on this idea.
"William is very conscious of the public scrutiny over the royal family's spending habits, so he is looking at the best way to cover any renovation costs," a source revealed. "It's a project that's very much been put on the back burner for now due to the family's unfortunate position, but it will be looked at again when the time is right."
Originally built in 1831 for King William IV's wife, Queen Adelaide, that consort's namesake cottage was fully renovated by William and Kate in 2015. It has long been rumored that this restoration project included a collection of gilded dolphins and ropes adorning the master bedroom walls.
The renovation project comes amid reports suggesting the Princess of Wales is in "good spirits" now that her chemotherapy treatments led to a successful elimination of cancer.
"They [William and Kate] absolutely adore Adelaide Cottage, but it just about fits the entire family, whereas Anmer Hall is much larger with extensive grounds," a family source spilled. "Adelaide Cottage is being used as a term time property while the children are at school nearby, and Anmer Hall is for long weekends and holidays."
The plans are said to include the restoration of a "rundown redbrick annex" near the cottage that will serve as both a retreat for the queen-in-waiting and their staff.
"Nobody knows that there is quite a spacious red-brick annex building that's not being used next door to Adelaide Cottage," they added. "It's currently inhabitable and needs extensive renovation works if it were to be used. Discussions have been ongoing for a while about using the property as part of the overall cottage grounds, but it's just about finding the right time to kick the project off."
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Daily Mirror reported on the insider and expert revelations.
