Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s new gift … a cottage at Windsor
THE Queen has reportedly stumped up a pretty cool wedding present for her favourite grandchild and his new wife. And she’ll be close enough to pop over for a cuppa.
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IT’S a heck of a wedding present.
The newlywed Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly added another property to their list of homes — a cottage from the Queen.
Adelaide Cottage, near Windsor Castle, has reportedly been gifted to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as their wedding present.
And if the loved-up duo make Adelaide Cottage their second home, the Queen will be close enough to pop over for a cuppa.
The newlyweds were invited to inspect Adelaide Cottage in Windsor to see if they would like to live there, according to the Daily Mail.
They loved the place, and are set to make it their second home.
And what’s not to love? The heritage-listed two-bedroom cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle offers privacy, lush surroundings, an easy commute to London, and is close to Harry’s polo club.
Kensington Palace has refused to comment on whether the pair had been given the home and no official palace source has confirmed the move.
Currently Prince Harry and Meghan live at Nottingham Cottage, known as “Notts Cott”, in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Harry moved in there after big brother Prince William and Kate married and moved out.
The two-bedroom house is also where Harry proposed to Meghan as they made dinner together.
While the loved-up pair will count Adelaide Cottage as their second home, they won’t own it as such.
According to Royal Musings, the cottage is, like Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace, part of the Crown Estates, which means they’ll have a long lease, but won’t actually own the home.
Prince William and Kate Middleton received a similar gift from the Queen — a country house Amner Hall in Norfolk — after they wed in 2011.
Adelaide Cottage, built in 1831 as a retreat for William IVs wife Queen Adelaide, has housed a host of dignitaries and courtiers — including Princess Margaret’s lover Group Captain Peter Townsend, who lived there with his wife Rosie Marchioness Camden in 1945 before his romance with the princess.
It’s nestled away in a corner of the Home Park on the eastern side of the Windsor Castle grounds, near Frogmore House, where the pair had their wedding reception in May.
About three kilometres away, at the top end of the estate, lies Windsor Castle, the Queen’s main residence, and St George’s Chapel, where Prince Harry and Meghan wed.
INSIDE ADELAIDE
The newlywed renters won’t be able to renovate or redecorate Adelaide Cottage because it’s a heritage property.
It reportedly had a renovation in 2015.
The main bedroom is reportedly one of the most opulent rooms in the cottage, featuring a Greco-Egyptian marble fireplace, which is a valuable part of its heritage listing, and a coved ceilings covered in gilded dolphins and a rope decoration, which was originally from a 19th century royal yacht.
It is just a few kilometres from the Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park, which Harry attends regularly.
It’s secluded, with seven gated entrances and exits to Windsor Castle, offering privacy to the royals and easy access to London.
Its entrance features a porte-cochere, a structure through which horses and carriages used to enter properties.
Originally published as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s new gift … a cottage at Windsor
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