Prince William and Princess Catherine famously reside in three of the most beautiful properties in the United Kingdom – but they also have spent time in some lesser-known properties – including Bodargan Estate in Anglesey, Wales.
From 2010, the former Duke and Duchess rented a four-bedroom farmhouse – located in the southwestern quarter of the Welsh island. Their stay included time in 2013, following the birth of their first son, Prince George.
Despite access to royal residences, the couple rented from local landowners Lord and Lady Meyrick, paying approximately $930 per month (£750) while William worked at the RAF's north Welsh base. The Prince has formerly described the home as an 'immensely special place'; however, Princess Catherine has admitted that she found it isolating after returning with her first newborn.
Landscape near Bodargan Estate, Anglesey
'I was chatting to some of the mums, I had just had George, and William was still working with search and rescue, so we came up here when George was a tiny, tiny little baby in the middle of Anglesey,' the Princess shared during a visit to a children's center in Cardiff.
'It was so isolated, so cut off, I didn't have my family around me; he was doing night shifts, so if only I'd had a center like this at a certain time.'
Little more is known about the white farmhouse where the couple lived during their engagement and as newlyweds. However, the home was said to have a locally-sourced Welsh slate roof and a view overlooking the Irish Sea and the nearby Eryri mountains. It is likely a world away from the couple's London base, Kensington Palace, that alongside its grandeur, is notably right in the heart of London.
In contrast, when speaking of his time in the Welsh cottage, Prince William announced that their first home was an 'immensely special place' for the couple. 'Catherine and I look forward to returning again and again over the coming years with our family,' he said during a speech at the Anglesey show.
'I know that I speak for Catherine when I say that I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey.'
The couple now lives in Adelaide Cottage, located in Windsor Home Park just east of Windsor Castle with their three children – but will no doubt visit Anglesey as a larger family sometime again soon.
In the meantime, we're reading up on this family, and their lives, via the book below.
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