Princess Kate's quiet transformation at 'ice box' candy pink cottage


The Prince and Princess of Wales share Adelaide Cottage with their three children


Princess Kate in brown coat over image of adelaide cottage© Getty
Katie DalyLifestyle Writer
August 4, 2025
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The Prince and Princess of Wales' home at Adelaide Cottage couldn't look more idyllic with its candy pink exterior and beautiful rose garden. 

But before it came into the hands of William and Kate, both 43, Adelaide Cottage, their four-bedroomed home in Windsor, was previously the home of Group Captain Peter Townsend, equerry to the late Queen Elizabeth's father King George VI, who was offered the property as a grace-and-favour residence in 1944.

Though the home was undeniably beautiful, Princess Margaret's ex Peter Townsend had his complaints, calling the home an "ice box" for only having two radiators.

However, in 2015, while William and Kate were still living in an apartment at Kensington Palace, Adelaide Cottage was renovated.

Adelaide Cottage gets a glow-up

Maintaining the historical architecture and original porch of Adelaide Cottage was a high priority in the 2015 renovations. The manicured gardens surrounding the property also remain almost untouched for nearly 200 years. 

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The cottage has a beautiful pink exterior

However, the glow-up did include a set of lavish decorative features, reportedly including gilded dolphins and rope ornamentation on the ceiling of the master bedroom, and a Graeco-Egyptian marble fireplace. 

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The Wales family live in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor

The Waleses, along with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, moved into Adelaide Cottage in 2022. It since featured in Kate's infamous Mother's Day photo of 2024 when she was seen posing on the patio outside, surrounded by all three of her children. 

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The couple also have a country home in Norfolk

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William and Kate's secondary homes

Though Adelaide Cottage, no longer an ice-box, is William and Kate's main home, they also split their time at Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Llwynywermod, a house in Carmarthenshire which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall and offered to the couple when they visit Wales.

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William, Kate and their children spent lockdown at Anmer Hall, Norfolk

Anmer Hall, just a stone's throw from Sandringham, is a Georgian country home featuring two storeys and an attic with dormer windows. It offers 10 bedrooms and features an interior design courtesy of Ben Pentreath.

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1. Royal visitor 

Originally built in 1831 for Queen Adelaide, years later another queen, Victoria, frequently visited the residence for breakfast and tea.

2. Modest in size

Adelaide Cottage is relatively small for a royal residence, with just four bedrooms, making it ideal for the cosy family life of Prince William and Princess Kate.

3. Royal scandal

Group Captain Peter Townsend moved into the cottage with his family in 1944 when he became King George VI’s Equerry. Townsend's future lover, Princess Margaret, spent time at the cottage in the following years where she played with his children.

4. Grace and favour

The property is a grace-and-favour residence, meaning it is owned by the Crown Estate and provided rent-free to royals or royal staff. However, Prince William and Princess Catherine have been paying market rent for the property. 

5. Dolphin design

The master bedroom features cove ceiling with gilded dolphins and rope ornament repurposed from the 19th-century royal yacht, Royal George.

The decor is a departure from traditional royal style

According to British Vogue, the "colour scheme is largely neutral – with cream walls, gilt frames and natural textures, including wicker and bamboo – although the dining room is reportedly painted in a bold jewel green."

A look inside the dining area at Anmer Hall

The design speaks to Ben Pentreath's signature style which, As he wrote in his book English Decoration in 2012, combines a "myriad ingredients" to make a perfect space – "the ticking of a clock, or the deep, still silence of an old room in the country; and scents – of garden roses, or woodsmoke… But above all, the most magical – and, of course, elusive - constituent of English decoration is gentle, slow-roasted time," he penned.

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