A baby for George and Victoria

 

Another book sale

 More weeding my book collection -- and offering a few books here for sale.  The USA only.  The price of the book includes postage.   You can use Kofi to pay.  

This was published in 1981 text by Trevor Hall with 140 pages of photos  $10.00

Fabulous coffee table book 240 pages   text by Princess Katya Galitzine 1999  $25.00

Highly recommended if you are planning a visit to Biltmore.  I read it on the plane to Asheville
$9.00

David Duff was a good friend and a popular royal writer royal.  wear and tear on the DJ.  Published in 1978 writer   Autographed  $20.00

Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite historical writers. Published in 2015.  It is about Catherine Park 
$8.00

Excellent bio on Queen Caroline, consort of George IV.  1996.  Flora is the daughter of Antonia Fraser and granddaughter of the Countess of Longford.   $9.00

Ingrid Seward wrote this book in 2000 about the relationship between the Queen and Diana  $5.00

When you buy a book, please let me know which one you want and include your name and address.  Many thanks.  As soon as a book sells, it will be removed from this post.   If I get more than one request for the same book, the first order gets it and the other person gets a refund!

Thanks

The Queen will soon bump off another

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 On June 2, Queen Elizabeth II will become the second longest-reigning monarch in history. She will bump King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand (1927-2016) to third place.

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The Massachusetts-born king reigned for 70 years and 126 days.  The Queen will tie that record on June 1

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 Eleven days ago, she surpassed  Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein (1858-1929), whose reign lasted for 70 years and 91 days.

But it will take another 739 days for the Queen to become the longest-ever reigning monarch.  

 Mark your calendar for May 25, 2024, because that is the day the sun will set on King Louis XIV (1638-1715)  of France's record of 72 years if Queen Elizabeth II is still alive.

 This record has been the gold standard since September 1, 1715, the day the king died.  His successor was his great-grandson, King Louis XV, who is 15th on the list with a reign that lasted 55 years, 251 days.

Queen Victoria is in eighth place with a reign that lasted 63 years, 216 days.  

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 Victoria's grandfather,  King George III is fifteenth on the list (59 years, 96 days).

Queen Elizabeth appears twice on the longest-reigning sovereigns list.  As the Queen of Jamaica, she is in 14th place (59 years, 285 days.)

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 Elizabeth is the only incumbent on the list of the 25 longest-reigning monarchs.   

[If my math or dates are wrong, please let me know..]

If you liked this, perhaps you can buy me a cup of coffee

My favorite Princess - the fashion winner today!

The best dressed British royal at today's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace is HRH Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy   The 85-year-old princess definitely stole the show in a light pink suit.  

She is the second of three children of the late HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942), and HRH Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark (1906-1968)   In 1963, she married the Hon. Angus Ogilvy (1928-2004), second son of the 12th Earl of Airlie.  They were the parents of two children, James(1964) and Marina (1966.)  She is the grandmother to Flora Vesterberg, Alexander Ogilvy, Zenouska Mowatt, and Christian Mowatt.

HRH Princess Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel of Kent was born on December 25, 1936.  At the time of her birth, she was 6th in line to the throne.  She is now in 57th place.

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A surprise appearance for the opening of the Elizabeth Line

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Mom tags along.   The Earl of Wessex was scheduled to open the Elizabeth Line, a part of the new Crossrail system in the London area, but his mom decided to tag along!   About 90 minutes before the Queen and Earl of Wessex arrived, the plaque that commemorated the opening by HRH The Earl of Wessex was removed and replaced by another plaque stating that the Elizabeth Line was opened by HM The Queen.   

How convenient to have an extra plaque ready .. just in case the Queen was able to attend the opening!

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A new QVD

 

@Hello magazine (Serbian edition)

Princess Ljubica of Serbia gave birth to a second daughter today at the National Front Clinic in Belgrade. Mother and daughter are doing well.

The new princess will be known as HRH Princess Isidora of Serbia. Ljubica Ljubisavljević married HRH Prince Michael (Milahilo) of Serbia in Oplenac on October 23, 2016. Prince Michael is the younger of the late Prince Tomislav, the second of three sons of King Alexander I, and his second wife, Linda Bonney. 

https://www.hellomagazin.rs/royalty/vesti/217784/porodila-se-princeza-ljubica-stigla-devojcica-prelepog-imena-foto

Crown Prince Alexander released a statement earlier today.

"We wish all the happiness of this world to our dear Ljubica, Mihail, and Natalia on the birth of her daughter and little sister, Isidora we wish a lot of luck, prosperity, and love, and to be a worthy bearer of our family name. It's not an easy task, but she has Karadjordje's genes and I'm sure she will be the pride of our family, our people, and our country!

Victoria - Alfred - Marie - Marie - Tomislav - Michael - Isidora

Oh that Smile!

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 Queen Elizabeth attended the second day of the Royal Windsor Horse show.  It is apparent from the smile on her face. the queen is in her happy place.  Her granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor, driving her grandfather's carriage, took part in the Gallop Through History” performance, a part of the Platinum Jubilee celebration.

The Queen sat between the Countess Mountbatten of Burma and the Earl of Wessex.

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Mail Call

 

@Grand Ducal Palace Luxembourg

Nicholas and Sophie Brandram

King Simeon & Queen Margarita of Bulgaria - a combination Christmas and 60th wedding anniversary card

Countess Kalina von Starmhemberg and Count Gabriel Piatti

@royal Palace, Belgium

Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior

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 An exhibit,  Grace of Monaco, Princess in Dior, will be on display at Hillwood House from June 11, 2022, through January 8, 2023. 

Once the home of Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hillwood House is one of Washington, D.C., most iconic and beautiful places to visit.  There are lovely gardens and an impressive Romanov collection, including the Nuptial Crown, made for Princess Alix of Hesse and By Rhine, when she married Nicholas II in 1894

https://hillwoodmuseum.org/

"Grace of Monaco: Princess in Dior

SAT, 06/11/2022 - 00:00 - SUN, 01/08/2023 - 23:59

Fashion and mementos from the legendary life of Princess Grace of Monaco will appear in North America for the first time at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, celebrating her dedicated relationship with Haute couturier Christian Dior.

The special exhibition Grace of Monaco: Princess in Dior will explore the longstanding collaboration between Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco, and Marc Bohan, artistic director at Christian Dior, through clothing, accessories, photos, and more, on special loan from the Palace of Monaco.

Presented in North America for the first time, the exhibition, which originated at the Musée Dior in Granville, France, offers insights into the life of an icon, whose image was created in response to Hollywood’s wish for glamour and the desire for elegance in her stately duties. Grace of Monaco is a tribute to Bohan’s muse in the 1960s and 1970s and a celebration of their enduring partnership through haute couture.

Like Kelly, Hillwood founder Marjorie Merriweather Post was a tastemaker who carefully cultivated her image, choosing smart, elegant pieces, and treating her apparel as she did her collections, as a connoisseur. As Hillwood interprets 20th-century fashion through Post’s own collection of jewelry, accessories, and apparel, it is fitting to expand this narrative through showcasing Kelly’s place in the world of 20th-century haute couture.

Princess in Dior

About one-third of Kelly’s wardrobe was Dior, not only because the house was so prestigious but also because she was such close friends with Bohan. According to Florence Müller, fashion historian, and curator of the original exhibition, “Bohan perfectly understood her role: she needed to be stylish, but respectful of etiquette.” The two, “had the same idea of elegance; she found in Bohan someone who could share her vision,” Müller said. Bohan viewed Kelly as the embodiment of a style that was understated, sophisticated, in vogue, and tasteful, while she saw him as Monaco’s most up-to-the-minute fashion designer. As Bohan said, “She epitomized my style, a style that caught your attention but was never excessive.” With 86 pieces from Kelly’s collection on view, the exhibition will highlight their fruitful relationship in crafting and maintaining Kelly’s image.

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 Charmed by the elegance of Bohan’s designs for Dior, Kelly made appearances in tailored wool ensembles and airy pastel dresses, paired with classic accessories, such as hats for which she had a particular fondness. She had an innate sense of style, and this glimpse into her attire sheds light on the life of a legendary figure, who was both a darling of the public, and a modern, socially engaged woman. “I'm basically a feminist,” Kelly once said. “I think that women can do anything they decide to do.”

About Grace of Monaco

Grace Kelly (1929-1982) was a leading American actor, starring in 11 films and over 60 television productions, earning an Academy Award, and becoming a style icon for her understated glamour. Her relationship with Dior began in 1954 when she wore the ‘Caracas’ dress from the Spring/Summer 1954 Christian Dior-New York collection to the premiere of the film Rear Window.

Leaving Hollywood to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956, she was thenceforth Princess Grace of Monaco, known for her stately beauty and active in charitable and cultural work, continuing to maintain her characteristic casual chic. For her first public appearance following the engagement announcement, Kelly opted for dramatic haute couture gowns by Christian Dior, establishing herself as one of the firm’s most loyal and iconic clients for the rest of her life.

About Dior

The Musée Dior celebrates the life and legacy of innovative fashion designer Christian Dior (1905-1957). With a debut couture collection in Paris in 1947, Dior’s fresh, feminine silhouette inspired fashion’s insiders and defined women’s fashion for the following decade. Named the “New Look” by Harper’s Bazaar editor Carmel Snow, Dior’s elegant designs characterized the postwar ebullience of the 1950s. His astute management and business innovations not only reinvigorated Paris as fashion’s capital following the Occupation but also set precedents for today’s modern business of fashion. In September 1960, Marc Bohan became artistic director following the death of Christian Dior. During his thirty-year tenure, Bohan guided the House of Dior through the modern age with reverence to its founding parameters of understated femininity.

Grace de Monaco, princesse en Dior

Grace of Monaco: Princess in Dior is based on the exhibition Grace de Monaco, princesse en Dior organized by the Christian Dior Museum of Granville and curated by Florence Müller, Avenir Foundation Curator of Textile Art and Fashion, Denver Art Museum.

Exhibition Sponsors

Grace of Monaco: Princess in Dior is supported by The Marjorie Merriweather Post Foundation, Northern Trust, Ellen MacNeille Charles, Ms. Nedenia Rumbough and Mr. Jan Roosenburg, Janice and Ralph Shrader, Kyra Cheremeteff and Thomas W. Richardson, and Mr. and Mrs. Ronald N. Slimp II. All exhibitions and programs are funded in part by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts through the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs program. This project was supported by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities."

I last visited Hillwood House in 2016

http://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2016/10/a-visit-to-hillwood.html

Princess Astrid of Belgium leads trade mission to UK

HRH Princess Astrid of Belgium is in England as she is leading a four-day economic trade mission to the Greater London area. 

 Today, which was the third day of the visit,  the Princess was at the University of Oxford earlier today, where she was joined by her niece, Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant, a student at the university. Princess Elisabeth, the heir to the throne is the eldest of four children of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde. 

 Astrid is the king's sister and is fifth in line to the Belgian throne. Yesterday, Princess Astrid, 59, paid a courtesy call to the Prince of Wales and also carried out an engagement with the Princess Royal as both laid flowers at the memorial to the British nurse Edith Cavill. 

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https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium-news/223970/belgium-uk-economic-mission-bringing-business-in-line-with-human-and-climate-targets

https://tdpelmedia.com/princess-astrid-of-belgium-talks-fusion-energy-at-ukaea

https://www.monarchie.be/en/royal-family/princess-astrid

the wedding of Count Ludwig of Stolberg-Stolberg and Annabelle Garbe

 

Count and Countess Ludwig of Stolberg-Stolberg

On April 30, 2022, H Ill H Count Ludwig  Clemens Anton Gabriel Maria of Stolberg-Stolberg married Annabelle Garbe at St Margareta Church in Altenmarkt an der Alz.  The wedding reception and a ball were held at Schloss Amerang.

This castle is owned by Ortholf Freiherr von Crailsheim and his wife, Giulia,  and it is a popular venue for wedding receptions and other events.

Ludwig,  37, is the second of four sons of Count Otto Hubert Friedrich Mauritz Maria of Stolberg-Stolberg and Countess Stefanie von Matuschka, Baroness von Toppolczan u. Spaetgen.

The photos were taken by a friend.  Unfortunately, I am unable to identify the other people in the photos.

Annabelle Garbe is the youngest daughter of Claus Garbe and Cornelia Gumberz Edle v. Rhonthal.   

Cornelia's sister, Friederike is married to HSH Prince Constantin of Salm-Salm.

Count Ludwig is a Software Developer Engineer at ZF Friedrichshafen.  He has degrees from Technische Universität Dresden and the Technische Universität Munich.

Platinum Jubilee update

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 Buckingham Palace has released new details for the upcoming Platinum Jubilee celebrations, including the Trooping the Colour and the Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul's.

Trooping the Colour will take place on Thursday, June 2.  It has been a tradition that the balcony appearance after the Trooping has included working royals and other family members, but "after careful consideration" the Queen will be joined by members of her family who are working royals.

This will be the first full Trooping the Colour since 2019.

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 The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Earl and Countess of Wessex,  the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra will join the Queen on the balcony.  

 'In addition, the Cambridge and Wessex children are also expected to appear as is Sir Tim Laurence, who the Queen is happy to attend as a frequent attendee and support for the Princess Royal on official engagements," stated a Palace spokesman.

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Shortly after the Palace released the details, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they would be at flying to London for the Platinum Jubilee, adding they are "excited and honored" to attend the events.  The Duke and Duchess will be accompanied by their two young children,  Archie, who turned 3 years old today, and Lilibet.

The Duke and Duchess and their children will not be on the balcony. The new diktat also applies to the Duke of York, who as the former Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, rode in the process with the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and the Princess Royal, and his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

This means that Beatrice and Eugenie and their husbands will not be in the procession as well.  In 2019,  Beatrice and Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank were in the second carriage after the Duchess of Cornwall. the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The exclusion will also apply to Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and their children, the children and grandchildren of the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, and Princess Alexandra.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and other members of the royal family will be invited to other events, according to a palace spokesman.  "We've always made that clear and they are likely to be public events."

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 A palace spokesman stated: "The Queen is looking forward to the weekend and will be taking part in the celebrations but her presence will not be confirmed until much nearer the time or even on the day itself."

There will be no ceremonial procession to St Paul's Cathedral where the Service of Thanksgiving will take place on Friday, June 3.  The Queen is expected to arrive by a side entrance as she is unable to climb the stairs to the main entrance.    

I will be in London for the Jubilee celebrations.  

Another QVD: Peter of Serbia acknowledges daughter

HRH Prince Peter of Serbia

Prince Peter of Serbia, who renounced his rights and the rights of his descendants, to the Serbian throne on April 27, is the father of a young daughter, who lives in London.  This exclusive was published by a Serbian newspaper, Kurir.

His pronouncement statement included the following clause: "By the act of abdication, I renounce myself and all of my descendants who were born or will be born in a marital relationship or out of wedlock."

Prince Peter has acknowledged that he is the father of a daughter, who lives in London with her mother.  He sees his daughter and provides the appropriate financial support, according to the newspaper.   

He lives with his mother, Princess Maria da Gloria of Orleans and Braganza, and her second husband, the Duke of Segorbe, in Seville, where he works as a graphic designer.

The identities of the mother and her daughter are not publicly known, but birth records in the United Kingdom are public.  Everyone has the right to search the General Records Office database for births, marriages, and deaths.

The Serbian article states that the child is between 7 and 8 years old.   This child with the surname Karageorgevitch was born in 2017.  Her middle names are Luna Noor.  Luna is the first name of one of Peter's half-sisters.  It has not been confirmed if this is Peter's daughter, however.

The mother's surname is Jones.

Peter's daughter is, however, a double descendant of Queen Victoria.

Victoria - Alfred - Marie - Marie -Peter - Alexander - Peter - daughter

Victoria - Victoria - Sophie - Alexander - Alexandra - Peter -Alexander - Peter - daughter

https://www.kurir.rs/vesti/drustvo/3922977/kurir-saznaje-princ-petar-karadjordjevic-ima-vanbracnu-cerku-evo-s-kim-je-dobio-i-gde-zivi

Adelaide Cottage - a new home for the Cambridges?

@Royal Collection

This post was first written on July 23, 2018, after the Daily Mail reported that Queen Elizabeth II has gifted Adelaide Cottage at Windsor to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.  At the time, the report seemed credible  -- unlike the reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were going to move into York Cottage at Sandringham -- but Kensington Palace never confirmed the Mail's report.

Technically, the queen cannot gift Adelaide Cottage to anyone as it belongs to the Crown Estates.  A tenant can acquire a long lease to the property, however.

But it is apparent that Adelaide Cottage was never an option as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into the recently renovated  Frogmore Cottage.   The couple, who left England in March 2020, now call Montecito, California home, but the Duke continues to hold the lease for Frogmore Cottage.   Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their young son, August, currently live in the cottage.

https://royalmusingsblogspotcom.blogspot.com/2018/11/frogmore-cottage-history.html

Earlier today, the Mail reported that Adelaide Cottage may soon become the new home for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children.   It is understood that the Duke and Duchess have been preparing to move to Berkshire and have looked at several homes, including Frogmore House and Fort Belvedere, on the grounds of Windsor Castle and in Windsor Great Park.  Rebecca English also writes that they have also looked at homes in Berkshire and Surrey.

Fort Belvedere ceased to be a grace and favour home in 1953 when the Queen returned to the Crown Estates.  Two years later. the Hon. Gerald Lascelles, the younger son of the Princess Royal,  acquired 90 years lease.  He and his wife, Angela, and their son Henry moved into the house eleven months later.  When his marriage ended in divorce,  Gerald sold the lease to the son of the Emir of Dubai.  In the early 1980s, the lease was purchased by the late Canadian billionaire Galen Weston.  The lease included the Fort, three cottages, and a swimming pool. 

Mr. Weston, who died in April 2021, spent millions renovating the property, which is not far from the polo grounds at Coworth Park.

Fort Belevedere is best known as the home of the future Edward VIII and it was the scene for his abdication on December 10, 1936.

The Weston family continues to hold the original lease, which expires in 2045.   The Fort is however a large private estate in Windsor Great park seven miles from Windsor Castle.      

Adelaide Cottage, which is in the Home Park in Windsor, is within walking distance of Windsor Castle.

The Home Park is separate from Windsor Great Park.  Frogmore House,  which is used for receptions, is open to the public in August, and Frogmore Cottage is also in the Home Park.

Frogmore House has several grace and favour apartments for former royal staff, including the Prince of Wales' former nanny Helen Lightbody.

The Mail is also reporting that Princess Eugenie "had been trying to secure Adelaide Cottage" as a future home," but this has not been confirmed.   Her father has a 75-year lease for Royal Lodge, which can be assigned to his widow or his two daughters,  Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie if he dies or chooses to leave the property.

@ Royal Collections  circa 1900

Sir Jeffrey Wyatville (1766-1840) built the cottage in 1839 on the site of the Headkeeper's Lodge.  Material from the demolished Royal Lodge was used to build the new cottage, which was named in honor of Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV.   

In her book, Royal Landscape: the Gardens and Parks of Windsor, Jane Roberts writes "Adelaide Cottage occupies a small fenced-in end of the Northern Slopes, just to the north of Queen Elizabeth's Walk."   The cottage's entrance "bears the initials  "AR" (Adelaide Regina) and the date 1831.

On the morning of March 12, 1831,  King William IV "took an airing in Little Windsor Park in his pony phaeton, and inspected Adelaide Cottage," according to a report in the Norfolk Chronicle and Norwich Gazette.  The newspaper described the cottage as a "romantic building." that has  "a delightful effect from the road leading through the park from Datchet."

It was originally a Keeper's Lodge,  described as a "romantic habitation under a steep bank."   Before Frogmore House was acquired by Queen Charlotte,  the Keeper's Lodge was often "engaged in a familiar quest for privacy at Windsor," according to Roberts.   Six months after the death of King George IV, a local newspaper reported that a new building would be constructed and replace the Keeper's Lodge, and the intention was to provide a "summer-box" for the new Queen Consort, where "visitors from the castle will occasionally take refreshment."

The new Cottage was "happily chosen by the Queen for an occasional summer retreat."   The original views of Adelaide Cottage "suggest that the house consisted solely of two large rooms overlooking the garden."   These rooms were "tacked on to a small square cottage which survived from the old Keeper's Lodge."   It was the old cottage that continues to provide the "domestic accommodation of the house."

The Cottage was ready for use in time for Queen Adelaide's birthday on August 13, 1831.  She hosted a petit dejeuner for the King and "royal guests staying at the Castle."

The Times noted on August 6, 1832, that there would be a "splendid morning fete at Adelaide Cottage," on the morning of the Queen's birthday.  The cottage's grounds "have been very tastefully laid out under her Majesty's inspection." 

Queen Adelaide was born Princess Adelheid of Saxe-Meiningen on August 13, 1792.   She married Prince William, Duke of Clarence at Kew Palace on July 11, 1818, in a double wedding with William's younger brother, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who married Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

The King and Queen often spent time at the cottage, especially during the summers, when they could be driven there in a pony phaeton.  Queen Adelaide would, on occasion, with her ladies, walk to the cottage for tea or other refreshments and then walk back to Windsor Castle\, sometimes strolling through the town.

In April 1831, the Queen, "with her attendants, gratified a numerous assemblage of nobility and gentry, by walking through the Terrace on Sunday afternoon, during the grand promenade.  Her Majesty proceeded on foot through the slopes to Adelaide Cottage, and on her return attended the afternoon service at St. George's Chapel," according to the Windsor Herald.

During King William IV's reign,  Adelaide Cottage had a "similar status to Frogmore House," then the home of her sister-in-law, Princess Augusta.  But Adelaide Cottage and the grounds were much smaller than Frogmore House and "has never provided a home for a member of the Royal Family."

After William IV's death in June 1837, Queen Adelaide retired to Bushey Heath, where she died in 1849.

William's successor was his 18-year-old niece, Victoria, who often visited the cottage after she became queen.  She enjoyed having breakfast or tea at Adelaide Cottage.

Victoria's much-loved spaniel Dash died in 1840 and was buried at Adelaide Cottage.  

The marble effigy reads: "Here lies DASH, The favourite spaniel of Her Majesty Queen Victoria, In his 10th year, His attachment was without selfishness, His playfulness without malice, His fidelity without deceit, READER, If you would be beloved and die regretted, Profit by the example of DASH"

In March 1838,  it was reported that the Board of Woods and Forests were "engaged in forming a private carriageway from the north door of the Terrace Conservatory through the Little Park to Adelaide Cottage.  This drive will be enclosed within a Ha! Ha! fence, and screened with shrubberies, etc.; and it is intended to form an easier mode of access for her Majesty to visit this delightful retreat, the occasionally rapid ascents of the walk through the slopes have already been fatiguing."

During the first summer of their marriage,  Queen Victoria and Prince Albert would often walk from Windsor Castle to Adelaide Cottage and would return to the castle on a pony phaeton.   The Cottage offered the young couple to relax away from the pressures of court life at the Castle.   In August 1841, Prince Albert celebrated his birthday at the cottage with a quiet lunch with his wife, where they were treated to a serenade.   The cottage was also a place where the Queen's children could enjoy free time with their parents.   The Queen herself would take "occasional refreshments at Adelaide Cottage, Frogmore or Shaw Farm in the Home Park," especially in the spring and early summer.

Early in Victoria's reign,  "there was a broad belt of planting from below the Winchester Tower (in the Middle Ward of the castle) to the grounds of Adelaide Cottage.

The cottage was also a place where the Queen and Prince Albert could entertain with less formality, often inviting family members,  including the Duchess of Kent, the Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (Victoria's older half-sister, Feodore), and Albert's brother, Ernst, and his wife.   In September 1846, the Queen and Prince Albert, the Princess of Prussia, "and all of her Majesty's visitors, except the Queen Dowager, walked to Adelaide Cottage" after spending some time there,  the royal party returned to Windsor Castle in pony carriages.

By the 1850s, Adelaide Cottage had become a grace and favor home.  George Fleming, who began a career in Royal service at age 15, rose to become Victoria's Page of the  Bedchamber.  He and his family lived in Adelaide Cottage for 35 years.   Victoria's children often spent time at the cottage with the Fleming children.

King George V and Queen Mary would also use the cottage for afternoon tea.  They were fond of the "rose pergola at Adelaide Cottage," describing the pergola as "one of the great features of the Home Park Private."

For more than 100 years, the "domestic quarters" in the older part of the house, were "occupied by a resident housekeeper," according to Roberts.

Adelaide Cottage became a Grace and Favour home in 1941, providing accommodation for "members of the Royal Household.  The house was in need of major work and maintenance.  When "the occupant in the mid-1940s requested  central heating for the sake of his young family," he was told that "it was impossible to contemplate such work at present," due to the efforts to "repair bomb damage in London."

The occupant who made the request was Peter Townsend, who moved into  Adelaide Cottage in 1944 with his wife, Rosemary, and their young son Giles.   Townsend, who served in the Royal Air Force during the second world war, was named as equerry to King George VI.  A year later,  the couple's second son, Hugo, was born at Adelaide Cottage.

The Townsends were divorced in 1952 due to Rosemary's adulterous relationship with John Laszlo, son of the famed portrait painter, Philip de Laszlo.    Townsend fell in love with Princess Margaret and they made plans to marry.  Although he was not the guilty party in the divorce,  Townsend was tainted by the stigma of the divorce and would not have been allowed to remarry in the Church of England.  This proved to be a major hurdle in the couple's relationship and in October 1955, Princess Margaret ended the relationship.

In the mid-1950s, the Ministry of Works discussed the fate of Adelaide Cottage having "rather gone to seed and is covered by dilapidated trellis work from which are hanging overgrown climbing shrubs."  

Adelaide Cottage was described as a building "of little merit, but in June 1955, Sir John Charlton, the Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments stated: "the house is of interest on both historical and architectural grounds," adding  "we should do our best to preserve it."

A budget of £10,000 was approved for renovations in October 1955.  Adelaide Cottage was ready for occupation 13 months later.    According to Jane Roberts,  the Cottage's two large rooms underwent major changes during the 1940s and 1950s, but these were "mostly reversed" when the Adelaide Cottage underwent major rehabilitation work in 1991-2.   Further renovations were done in 2015.

For 22 years Adelaide Cottage was the home of Sir John Johnston and his wife, the Hon. Elizabeth "Libby" Hardinge, the younger daughter of the 2nd Lord Hardinge of Penshurst, who as Alec Hardinge, served as Private Secretary to King Edward VIII and King George VI.

Libby Johnston was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth.  A year younger than the future queen, Libby joined Princess Elizabeth in the classroom in the palace.

Her mother, Helen Cecil, was a childhood friend of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who served as one of the bridesmaids at  Helen's wedding.   The Queen Mother was one of Libby's godparents.

Simon Rhodes, the son of Queen Elizabeth's first cousin, the Hon. Margaret Rhodes lived in the cottage with his family after leaving Rhodesia.

Sir Hugh Roberts, former Director of the Royal Collection, and his wife, Jane, the former Librarian at the Royal Archives, also resided at Adelaide Cottage.

 Adelaide Cottage has a storied history, built for a much-loved Queen Consort, but is there a chance that the Cottage will finally become a  full-time royal residence?   I do not think so as Adelaide Cottage is too small and does not have a large yard-cum-garden.  

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