IT’S the royal residence with a murky, scandalous past that nearly ripped the Royal Family apart.
But now, Adelaide Cottage will be the new home for Prince William and Kate Middleton and their three children, Charlotte, George and Louis.
The four-bed property, which was built in 1831, is situated on the 655-acre Windsor estate and will need no further tax-payer funding for renovations, security or live-in staff.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are departing from Anmer Hall, their country retreat in Norfolk, to be closer to The Queen as she battles mobility issues.
However, the royal residence has a dark past of heartache and scandal – here, we reveal the tale.
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Death of a king
The plush property was originally built as a retreat for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV, in 1831.
But six years after the cottage was erected, the King passed away at the age of 72 and it fell out of favour.
The couple had no children, so his successor Queen Victoria, who was just 18 years old, ascended the throne.
After William’s death, it was reported that Adelaide struggled to visit the property and instead – Victoria often had breakfasts and tea at the cottage.
It proved so popular that the young Queen, who died in 1901, buried her beloved King Charles spaniel, Dash, on the grounds.
Crush on an older, married man
In 1944, Adelaide Cottage became the residence for Group Captain Peter Townsend while he was serving as the equerry (officer of honour) to King George VI.
However, the property was not held in high regard and was described by one newspaper as a “poky and unattractive” residence hidden behind a 10ft privet hedge.
Furthermore, Adelaide Cottage had such limited access to electricity that it could only support a vacuum cleaner and a small electric heater at any one time.
But Townsend, an RAF pilot who fought in The Battle of Britain during World War Two, was happy and it became his first marital home with his wife Rosemary.
The couple had two sons, Giles and Hugo, the latter of whom had King George named as his godfather.
Princess Margaret was a 13-year-old schoolgirl when Townsend moved into the royal residence, but he’d already made quite the impression on her.
In later years, she admitted: “When he first appeared, I had a terrific crush on him.”
Margaret began to spend more time with Townsend and had “many Sunday visits” at the home – accompanied by the future Queen, Princess Elizabeth.
“Princess Margaret played with the children on the lawn and Peter Townsend, off duty, sat back in a deckchair,” a 1950 newspaper report explained.
It’s unclear when the affair between Townsend and Margaret began but some have speculated it was as early as 1947 – when she was nearly 17 years old and he was 32.
She later claimed to have truly “fallen in love” with him during a three-month state tour of South Africa that year when they spent every day together.
In his role as equerry, Townsend was chaperoning the teenager and accompanied her on royal trips around spectacular scenery.
“We rode together every morning in that wonderful country, in marvellous weather,” Margaret told a confidante.
Early affair claims
It wasn’t until 1952 when the Townsends divorced that the public became aware of the couple’s relationship, but some have claimed their romance began much earlier.
In 2017, Craig Brown, who authored Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, reported allegations that their affair began as early as 1947.
A reader sent him a letter claiming to have uncovered notes on official royal paper that requested Townsend and the Princess have adjoining bedrooms.
It was made ahead of a trip to Hillsborough Castle, the then-governor’s official home in Belfast.
Sarah Bradford’s 2002 biography of The Queen also recounted courtiers’ claims that Margaret was spending a lot of time with the war veteran.
One notable incident happened on the day of a birthday party for one of Townsend’s children.
“The telephone rang and it was someone saying ‘Would Peter go riding with Princess Margaret?’ He was not on duty and he went,” they claimed.
Despite the allegations, it has never been clarified whether the couple were intimate before Townsend’s divorce.
In 1952, he and his family left Adelaide Cottage after his marriage to Rosemary came to an end.
A year later, Margaret and Townsend’s romance became common knowledge after a small slip-up during the Queen’s Coronation.
In the Channel 5 documentary Scandals At The Palace, former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter said: “An eagle-eyed reporter saw Margaret brush a bit of fluff off Group Captain Peter Townsend’s RAF tunic… and royals don’t brush fluff off the hired help’s tunic.”
Ultimatum after divorce scandal
While Townsend and Margaret were happy, their relationship was doomed from the start.
The Royal Marriage Act stated that no member of the Royal Family could marry a divorcee while his ex-partner was alive.
To allow the couple to marry, the Queen had to grant permission and asked her then-25-year-old sister to wait three years.
During that time, Townsend was sent to the British Embassy in Brussels and Margaret was delivered an ultimatum by the Government.
She was told that if she married the military man, she must be stripped of her royal privileges including her income.
In 1957, Margaret made the heartbreaking decision to end their relationship and, three years later, married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones.
They had two children together, Lady Sarah Chatto and David Armstrong-Jones, and remained together for 18 years.
Other famous occupants
Since then, Adelaide Cottage has remained largely out of the spotlight but continued to host courtiers and dignitaries.
Most recently, it housed Simon Rhodes – the son of the Queen’s cousin Margaret – until he died in 2016.
A year after the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018, it was earmarked as a home for the then-royals.
But now Prince William and Kate Middleton will take over the residence, which will allow them to be closer to The Queen.
Adelaide Cottage was modernised in 2015 but retained a golden dolphin and ceiling rope decorations that were recycled from a 19th Century royal yacht.
It has been described as “chastely elegant” and has “a delightful shade at all hours of the day” that will be enjoyed by the Cambridges’ children.
The home was described as modest and lowkey, with little changing since its erection 200 years ago – and it seems the Cambridges are determined to keep it that way.
A source told The Celeb Report: “They were adamant they didn’t want anything too showy or anything that needed renovating or extra security so as not to be a burden on the taxpayer.
“They had no other demands than a pleasant family home close to schools and the Queen.
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“They will pay rent from their private account. All they need to do is move in some of their treasured furniture and possessions.
“The whole family is looking forward to moving in this summer and starting a new chapter in their lives together in Windsor.”
