Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Rebecca Russell

Kate Middleton and Prince William's favourite home that his best friend lived in before him

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have access to a number of homes across the UK and will soon add one more with their upcoming move to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate to be closer to The Queen.

While the family-of-five also have homes in London and Scotland, their residence in Norfolk is thought to be their favourite.

Prince William and Kate lived there permanently while work on Kensington Palace was being completed and marked several important milestones there, including Prince George's first day at nursery and Princess Charlotte's christening.

Anmer Hall is an 18th century red-brick home and was a wedding gift to the couple from The Queen.

Located on the Sandringham Estate, King Edward VII bought Anmer Hall in 1898 from Ernest Terah Hooley. It had originally been the seat of the Coldham Family from 1705.

Princess Charlotte spent some of her first days at Anmer Hall (PA / HRH The Duchess of Cambridge 2016)
Prince George went to nursery nearby (PA)

Love the royals? Sign up for the Mirror's daily newsletter to get all the latest news on the Queen, Charles, Kate, Wills, Meghan, Harry and the rest of The Firm. Click here to sign up .

From 1972 to 1990 the house was leased to the Duke and Duchess of Kent. The house was rented by two other families in between the time before the next tenants moved in.

The most notable of which is the family of Hugh van Cutsem. The van Cutsem family have many strong ties with the royals and are often pictured together.

Hugh van Cutsem was a close friend of Prince Charles during their days at university and his four sons (Edward, Hugh, Nicholas and William) have acted as close friends to the likes of Prince William and Prince Harry for many years.

Edward van Cutsem served as a pageboy at the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, whereas his brother Hugh made Prince William the godfather of his eldest daughter Grace.

Nicholas van Cutsem was asked to act as a godfather to Prince Louis and William took on the role at Prince George's christening.

Prince William is close friends with William van Cutsem and his three brothers (Getty Images)

In January 2013, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were allocated Anmer Hall by the Queen as a wedding gift.

Large renovations were carried out including a new roof, a conservatory, new kitchen and a substantial tree-planting scheme to offer the Duke and Duchess more privacy.

The refurbishments totalled £1.5 million and was paid for using private Royal Family funds.

The family lived in Norfolk full time between 2015 and 2017 as Prince George was attending nursery nearby at the Westacre Montessori School.

Anmer Hall was given to Prince William and Kate after their wedding (Getty Images)

The Cambridge family look set to move into Adelaide Cottage before Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis start at their new school in September.

Nestled in the heart of the Crown Estate's private 655-acre royal park, Adelaide Cottage was built in 1831 as a retreat for William IV’s wife Queen Adelaide. It was also known to be a favourite home of Queen Victoria as she frequently enjoyed taking her breakfast there.

Arguably, however, one of the most famous former residents was Princess Margaret's love interest, Group Captain Peter Townsend. Peter Townsend was an RAF pilot and later an equerry to King George VI who embarked on a famous love affair with The Queen's younger sister.

Adelaide cottage underwent major renovations in 2015 and has some seriously elaborate decorations. According to reports, the master bedroom at the cottage reportedly has a ceiling covered with gilded dolphins and a rope decoration.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.