The love story of the Prince and Princess of Wales began at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where they lived for a while.
The Prince and Princess of Wales PHOTO: Archive
The couple met during their first year living at St Salvator’s Halls of Residence and later continued to live together. Although the couple have now been married for almost 13 years and have three children, their early years together as students seem idyllic.
Prince William and Kate chose to live with two other roommates in their second year of university, but eventually lived together in their third and fourth years in a private off-campus house that belonged to one of William’s distant cousins, writes uk.style.yahoo.com.
However, the two did not get to live together in the second year due to an issue the landlord had with the previous male tenants. After hearing there might be a problem, Kate stepped in to secure the house for her, William and two of their closest friends.
During their first year of studies, Prince William and Kate moved into St Salvator’s dorms and became fast friends. Their budding relationship led the two to rent a house with two other students for their second year.
The Prince and future Princess of Wales decided to live at 13A Hope Street, near the university, with two friends, Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale. When Kate went to the viewings, she soon learned that there might be an obstacle preventing her from living with William.
Owner Charlotte Smith previously explained to ivillage.co.uk: “We had another unfortunate experience with some boys in the apartment and we were determined not to have any more young people there. Broken furniture, broken windows – there was a lot of damage, so that really put us off. I told this young lady that we would rather not have any more boys, and she said, What if I told you it was Prince William? After a period of reflection, Smith and her husband relented and allowed William and Fergus to move here. She later described the prince as a very friendly man, very charming … very nice.’
The couple chose to move to Balgove House in Strathtyrum for their third and fourth academic years. It was a sprawling private estate located just outside St Andrews. The property is owned by wealthy landowner Henry Cheape, a distant cousin of William and a close friend of the royal family.
The rural home was secure for the young couple as unmarked police cars patrolled the property and the house itself was set behind a large wall and had bomb-proof doors and windows. Despite the various security measures, Kate and William apparently enjoyed entertaining their many friends at the property – so much so that they installed a champagne fridge.
The family of five moved to Adelaide Cottage on Windsor Estate in the late summer of 2022 – with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis set to attend nearby Lambrook School.
Set in the heart of the Crown Estate’s 655-acre private royal park, Adelaide Cottage was built in 1831 as a retreat for Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV. It is also known to have been the favorite residence of Queen Victoria, who frequently enjoyed having breakfast here. Adelaide Cottage underwent major renovations in 2015 and has some very elaborate decorations.
