Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Were Just Gifted A House By The Queen

Megan Johnson

updated May 3, 2019

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Your grandma may still give you a card with a twenty dollar bill stuck in it, but things are bit different over at Buckingham Palace. According to the Daily Mail, the Queen has offered Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a luxurious property to add to their growing collection… of luxurious properties. This one is Adelaide Cottage, which is less of a “cottage” and more of a “sprawling mansion.”

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Located in the Home Park in Windsor, Adelaide Cottage was built in 1831 as a retreat for William IV’s wife, Queen Adelaide. We should all have a retreat named after ourselves! Since then, the property has seen a variety of royal faces passing through its doors, most famously Group Capt Townsend, the equerry to King George VI, and his wife Rosie Marchioness Camden, who were gifted the property in 1945. Of course the couple became headline fodder in 1952, when Townsend’s relationship with Princess Margaret became public.

According to its listing in Historic England, the “picturesque” property has many unique features, such as the south entrance, whose front is flanked by paired diagonally set chimneys with stepped bases. And then there’s the master bedroom, where a coved ceiling features gilded dolphins and rope ornament reused from the Royal yacht “Royal George.” There’s also a marble Greco-Egyptian fireplace.

Apparently, Queen Elizabeth has gifted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a new home! (Or a really, really old one.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Adelaide Cottage sits in Home Park on Windsor’s grounds, a few minutes’ walk from the castle. The Grade II-listed home was turned into a retreat for King William IV’s wife, Adelaide, in 1831 (which may be one reason the residence is protected by seven gates!) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The two-story home boasts a veranda, French casement windows, and a principal bedroom with a “coved ceiling with gilded dolphins and rope ornament reused from the Royal yacht, ‘Royal George’, [as well as] a marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace”. So, it’s a definite upgrade from the couple’s current digs—Nottingham Cottage, a two-bedroom “bachelor pad” at Kensington Palace. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For privacy reasons, details on the home are sparse, but I managed to dig up a few saucy tin bits. The North Slopes, on which Windsor Castle stands, were turned into pleasure grounds in the early 19th century and extend just to Adelaide Cottage. After his marriage to Queen Victoria, the Prince Consort further embellished the Slopes, creating a gorgeous walk to Adelaide Cottage featuring grottoes, a rockery, and a waterfall. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But my favorite secret detail? The cottage is set in its own enclosed gardens (swoon). I guess that’s what happens when you move into a retreat literally built for a Queen. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Recent updates say the couple is set to move into Adelaide Cottage, but the palace has yet to confirm. In the meantime, I’ll just be looking at these pictures of the cottage and the stunning landscape it inhabits and figuring out what has to happen for me to have my own personal waterfall… (See key below for all landmarks pictured.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. Adelaide Cottage, present day |?| 2. Adelaide Cottage and Grounds (Sir Jeffry Wyatville, 19th century) |?| 3. Cascade Waterfall |?| 4. Five-Arch Bridge |?| 5. Aerial view of the Home Park |?| 6. The Cambridge Gate, entrance to the Home Park |?| 7. Trout pond, Great Park |?| 8. Queen’s Garden |?| 9. Terrace Garden |?| 10. Moat Garden |?|

A post shared by The Royal Windsors (@royals_off_the_record) on Jul 22, 2018 at 1:39pm PDT

Kensington Palace didn’t have a comment on the gift.

Just a couple months ago, Harry and Meghan signed a two-year lease for WestfieldLarge, a home in the Cotswolds. For everyday life, however, it’s assumed the couple will move into Nottingham Cottage (commonly referred to as “Nott Cott”) on the grounds of Kensington Palace, though that property has been under construction since last fall.