The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be "very happy" raising their young family at Adelaide Cottage; the candy pink, four-bedroom home on the Windsor Castle estate that they have lived in since 2022.
The Grade-II listed home has proven to be a place of peace and solitude for Princess Kate, who has spent a significant amount of time at home in recent months, shielding from the spotlight as she continues her ongoing treatment for cancer.
Per the Daily Mail, a source revealed that the Wales' home has "seven gated entrances and exits to Windsor Castle" so the family can come and go without worrying about being photographed.
A place of solitude for the Wales family
While the Wales family home remains a private and secluded property for Kate and William to raise Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine and Prince Louis, five, a mysterious property resides practically on their doorstep... but who lives there?
According to Historic England, the public body which cares for England's historic buildings and places, Adelaide Cottage is a two-storey stucco-faced dwelling with elaborate pierced bargeboards, drip moulds and casement windows.
© ShutterstockIt was formerly known as Adelaide Lodge, incorporating part of architect John Nash's original Royal Lodge, originally built for the Prince Regent.
Now, Adelaide Cottage sits next to an eerie and empty Adelaide Lodge, which is currently abandoned and inhabitable due to problems with it not being underpinned.
© AlamyUnderpinning is a construction method used to support buildings that have been affected by subsidence or other structural issues, meaning the Lodge must be unfit for safe living conditions without it.
Prince William and Kate's bizarre abandoned property
Proving just how close the two properties are to each other, a photograph captured in 1899 by Sir Benjamin Stone, which has since been obtained by the Royal Collection Trust, shows how Adelaide Cottage and Adelaide Lodge share the same driveway.
© ShutterstockIn the photograph, the Prince and Princess of Wales' property is captured with a man leaning on the handle of a wheelbarrow in the driveway. A stone's throw from Adelaide Cottage sits Adelaide Lodge, which has smoke coming from the chimney.
Little is known about what the property was used for or who lives there, nor is it known why the royals haven't planned to renovate the now-abandoned Lodge, which could make a welcome extension to their space as their children get older.
© Samir HusseinFor now, we can just imagine George, Charlotte and Louis playing in and around the empty lodgings, provided it's not haunted like Buckingham Palace!
