When the Prince and Princess of Wales traded Kensington Palace for their candy pink Windsor property, little did they know the Grade-II listed 'Adelaide Cottage' would later become a sanctuary of seclusion while the Princess recovers from cancer.
The Wales family's four-bedroom home on the Windsor estate is remarkably modest in comparison to their former 20-room, four-storey address at Apartment 1A, which housed nine royal staff members when William and Kate were residents.
With no room for live-in staff, a wall of towering hedges and 655 acres of the Crown Estate's royal park on its doorstep, Adelaide Cottage seemed like a private and peaceful place for Princess Kate to undertake a course of preventive chemotherapy.
Former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole seems to think the family home is in fact not the best place for the Princess to be recovering, however.
© ShutterstockMichael told GB News the family home was "absolutely not an ideal place" for recovery from surgery, and cited a description of the property once written by Rosemary Townsend.
"She wrote in her memoir that it was the coldest place she'd ever encountered in the whole of her life. So maybe not the best place to start feeling better, particularly in this quite cold winter that we're enjoying at the moment," he added.
© ShutterstockBoth after surgery and during chemotherapy, the body's immune system is weakened, making simple bodily tasks like regulating body temperature far more difficult. Cold exposure also leads to spikes in cortisol (the stress hormone) which can significantly slow wound healing.
Spending an extended period of time in colder conditions may also reduce the immune response, making it harder for the body to fight off germs.
© GettyAccording to Historic England, the public body that cares for England's historic buildings and places, the cottage's main bedroom is thankfully equipped with a "good marble Graeco-Egyptian fireplace," which could provide the Princess with an extra dose of warmth on particularly cold days.
© WPA PoolThe property has no doubt been equipped with central heating since its foundations were laid in the 1800s, though even heating in particularly old and draughty properties can do little to guard against the chill.
The Princess has kept a low profile since announcing her health struggles in a heartbreaking video shared in March.
The royal mother-of-three, who made her cancer diagnosis public last month, has taken time off work and says she is focusing on daily practises to heal her "mind, body and spirit".
