The scandalous secret history of the Cambridge's new family home, Adelaide Cottage

Prince William and Kate Middleton are upping sticks and moving the whole family to Adelaide Cottage, Berkshire, closer to the Queen. But have you heard about the fascinating - and rather scandalous - history of their new abode? 

• Yesterday, Kensington Palace confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will make their move to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor after nine years of living at Apartment 1a in Kensington Palace.
• The new property was used as a 'grace and favor', property, meaning numerous residents lived there - one of whom was Princess Margaret's lover, Peter Townsend. 
• In other royal news, Prince Harry makes solo trip to Rwanda after Prince Charles slams UK government’s controversial migrant policy.

Prince William and Kate Middleton confirmed that they are moving to Adelaide Cottage this week, after months of speculation.

They've officially announced their upcoming move to Adelaide Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Great Park, which is just a 15 minute drive from Prince George and Princess Charlotte's new school, Lambrook School in Berkshire.

The property boasts four bedrooms and an idyllic countryside setting, originally built by Sir Jeffry Wyatville in 1831 and used as a summer guest house.

“Initially, Adelaide Cottage had a similar status to Frogmore House. Important visitors to Windsor in the 1830 regularly describe visits to first one then the other royal ‘summer retreat'," Jane Roberts wrote in her 1997 book, Royal Landscape: The Gardens and Parks of Windsor. 

In 1941, the house became a 'grace and favor' property, meaning the Royal Family would lend it out to friends and family as and when they needed to. 

Perhaps the most scandalous of these guests was Princess Margaret’s lover Peter Townsend, who lived in the cottage with his first wife Rosemary, so he could be on hand for the king in his role as equerry. 

Princess Margaret was just 13 when she was introduced to Peter Townsend. In his memoir, Time and Chance, Peter recalled that she was "as unremarkable as one would expect of a 14-year-old girl".  According to reporting from Town and Country, Margaret and Peter's romance began eight years later, when 22-year-old Margaret fell in love with Peter after the death of her father in 1952.

While it's unclear exactly when their affair began, it was reportedly exposed in the 1950s, after an intimate moment where Margaret can be seen picking fluff off her lover's jacket. The Guardian specifies this as the subtle gesture that gave away their romantic relationship in Princess Margaret's obituary.

Peter himself expressed some reservations about living in the "small" house, though grateful for the opportunity. In his memoir, Time and Chance, he revealed, “In the spring of 1945, with our second child on the way, the King proposed that we should move our abode to a small ‘grace and favor’ house, Adelaide Cottage, in the home park of Windsor Castle.

“It was a generous gesture for which I felt deeply grateful, despite the limited amenities of the House.”