While it is known that Balmoral Castle was Her Majesty's favourite residence thanks to the privacy she was afforded there, another home that held a special place in her heart was Windsor Castle.
The monarch moved out of Buckingham Palace permanently at the start of the pandemic in early 2020 and carried out all of her official duties from Windsor. The late Queen lived at the historic estate in Berkshire for her entire life, whether that is in the main castle, in Royal Lodge when she was small or at Windlesham Moor with her young family. And there is another rather unexpected home that Her Majesty was especially fond of which currently sits in the garden of The Duke and Duchess of York's home.
For her sixth birthday in 1932 Princess Elizabeth of York was gifted a miniature thatched cottage known as Y Bwthyn Bach, or The Little House, by the people of Wales. The house stands at just 22 feet wide and 15 feet high and was built by architect Edmund Charles Morgan Willmott.
Comprised of a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom, the cottage also came complete with electric lighting and running water as well as cutlery, utensils and furniture. In February 1932, an insurance policy for the house was taken out in the name of Princess Elizabeth of York.
The cottage is still standing today and was a favourite toy of Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. It has since been used by many generations of royal children, including King Charles and Princess Anne.
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Y Bwthyn Bach stands in the grounds of the Grade II listed Royal Lodge which was used by The Queen's parents as a weekend retreat when they were granted it by King George V.
The enormous home was also used as the backdrop for the famous engagement photographs of Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960.
The Queen Mother continued to live in the lodge after King George VI's death in 1952 and died there on March 30, 2002 with the Queen by her side.
Following The Queen Mother's death, the property was leased to Prince Andrew in 2003 and he was required to pay for any and all renovations himself. It is thought that the costs of the improvements rose above £7.5 million.
Along with the main house, the lease included the Gardener's Cottage, the Chapel Lodge, six Lodge Cottages, police security accommodation and a whopping 40 hectares of land. Following the renovations, Prince Andrew moved in to the property with his two daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie in 2004.
Sarah, Duchess of York moved in soon after and still lives with her former husband despite having separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.
The Duke and Duchess of York still live together at the impressive home in Windsor and it was revealed that they have adopted two of the late Queen's corgis, Muick and Sandy.
An insider close to the couple revealed: "The corgis will return to live at Royal Lodge with The Duke and Duchess. It was the The Duchess who found the puppies which were gifted to Her Majesty by The Duke.
"The Duchess bonded with Her Majesty over dog walking and riding horses and even after her divorce, she would continue her great friendship with Her Majesty by walking the dogs in Frogmore and chatting."
