The Unexpected Place Kate And William Reportedly Want To Move To

Prince William and Kate Middleton first started living together when they were in university. Well, kind of. The two were in the same residence hall, and it's there that the two became friends, according to Glamour. They first lived together as a couple in Anglesey, an island in northwestern Wales, while Prince William trained for the Royal Air Force, per Hello!. They stayed in a rented four-bedroom farmhouse that had its own private beach on the island until 2013 when Prince William's tour of duty ended.

Now the couple have two houses — one in the city and one in the country. Their city place is Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace in London where Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth II's sister, once lived, per The Guardian. Apartment may be a bit of a misnomer, it's got four stories and 21 rooms. And they were also gifted Anmer Hall from the Queen when they got married. The 18th century house is on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, and it's where Kate reportedly feels most at home, per People.

But apparently the family of five are looking to make a move, one that would put them closer to Queen Elizabeth but still close enough to London for work.

Queen Elizabeth is expected to continue living at Windsor Castle, where she stayed during the pandemic, as compared to Buckingham Palace, according to People. And a 10-minute walk from Windsor Castle is Adelaide Cottage, and that's where Prince William and Kate Middleton wish to move this summer, per The Sun. The couple have reportedly looked into schools for their three kids in Windsor, and a move to Windsor would not only bring them closer to William's grandmother but also to Kate's parents, according to Daily Mail. Some have said that the move to Windsor is to stop the disgraced Prince Andrew from spending too much time with his mother, the Queen, according to The Sun.

Adelaide Cottage had apparently previously been offered to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle when the couple got married, according to Vogue. It was originally built in 1831 and named for Queen Adelaide, according to The Sun. The cottage also has a bit of a scandalous history.

Adelaide Cottage belonged to Group Captain Peter Townsend and his family between the years of 1944 to 1952 (via The Sun). Townsend, who had been married to his wife Rosemary for three years, moved into the historic residence following World War II, as noted by The Daily Mail.

Notoriously known as Princess Margaret's lover, Townsend got to know the Queen and her younger sister on their weekly visits to his home. It all began when the Townsend family hosted a christening for their second son Hugo. Naturally, King George VI, who was named Hugo's godfather, and the rest of his family were invited to the event. "It was the first of many Sunday visits," a newspaper in the 1950s reported. "Princess Elizabeth liked to chat with Rosemary, while Princess Margaret played with the children on the lawn and Peter Townsend, off duty, sat back in a deckchair."

Although Princess Margaret was only 13 years old at the time, these weekly visits most likely set the stage for the princess' future affair with Townsend. Townsend was the one who often dropped Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret off at home after their visits, and Margaret reportedly had a crush on Townsend at the time. According to a biography written by Colin Brown, "Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret," the late royal and the King's equerry began seeing each other when Margaret was only 17 years old (via People).

Back in the 1940s, Adelaide College was not the coveted, alluring home that is it today. In fact, it was quite the opposite. When the Townsends were living in this royal residence, the cottage was described as described as "poky and unattractive" by a commentator in the 1950s, as noted by The Daily Mail. The cottage was dark and poorly lit and adorned with Victorian wallpaper and clunky furniture. To top that off, the cottage shared their electricity with the distant Windsor Castle, meaning that there was barely enough to power a vacuum cleaner.

Unsurprisingly, Adelaide Cottage has undergone many transformations since 1952. One of the most recent renovations occurred in 2015, as noted by Town and Country. According to The Daily Mail, the main bedroom features gold-lacquered dolphins on the ceiling, as well as a decorative rope that was taken from a royal yacht used in the 19th century. Another elaborate feature? A Graeco-Egyptian fireplace carved from marble. Sounds like Adelaide Cottage is fit for a king, aka the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with their three little ones.

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who were originally meant to move into the cottage, also appreciated the cottage's seven gated exits and entrances, which allowed for privacy. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex currently live in Santa Barbara, Meghan and Harry may be looking to move again in 2022.