Do Prince William and Kate really want to move
into this house? A royal sex scandal from 70 years ago still haunts the place.
Kensington Palace has confirmed Catherine Middleton and Prince William's move
to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. Some people are livid with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge about
their new choice of home. The chief executive for the UK organization Republic called their move to
Adelaide Cottage "disgraceful," seeing as the new residence will be the couple's fourth home.
This isn't the first time Adelaide Cottage has created negative headlines for the royal family,
though. It turns out that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's new home
has ties to Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret as well.
Adelaide Cottage is a grace-and-favor home, which means the British monarch owns it. The monarch
can allow a resident to live in the home rent-free or at a lower cost.
This is done as part of the resident's employment package or as a reward for their service to the
crown. House Beautiful reports that the Cambridges are downsizing by moving to their new home
in Windsor, as Adelaide Cottage only has four bedrooms and is listed as a Grade II property.
While it may be smaller, Adelaide Cottage has a rich history. William IV
built Adelaide Cottage in 1831 as a getaway for his wife, Queen Adelaide. It was later occupied by
RAF Captain Peter Townsend along with his wife and two children. Townsend's name may be familiar
to royal fans. He was a war hero and equerry to King George VI. However,
it was Townsend's relationship with Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth's younger sister,
that he's probably best known for today, as it created some royal drama.
Townsend lived at the cottage with his wife and two sons until his divorce
in 1952. It was after the divorce that Princess Margaret and the dashing Townsend carried on
their secret affair at Adelaide Cottage. It was very racy for the princess and Townsend
to use the grace-and-favor home as their love nest. According to People, rumors of the affair
between the princess and Townsend became public after Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953, where
a reporter caught Margaret picking a bit of fluff off Townsend's jacket — a very intimate gesture.
Furthermore, Town & Country reported it wasn't just Townsend's divorce that made him
unsuitable for Margaret — it was the fact that he was also 16 years older than the princess.
"A divorcee couldn't even enter the royal enclosure at royal ascot,
never mind marry a royal princess. It was just unheard of, unthinkable."
The outlet also reported that Margaret and Townsend fell for each other after his divorce
and after the death of Margaret's father, King George VI. However, the truth about Margaret's
affair with Townsend — and Adelaide Cottage — didn't come out until later.
The Daily Mail reported that Margaret and Townsend fell in love during the royal family's State
tour of South Africa in 1947. At the time, the princess was just 17 and the former pilot was 32.
Margaret tagged along on the South Africa trip, which included the king,
queen, and then-Princess Elizabeth. Since Margaret was just a teenager at the time,
Townsend was assigned to chaperone her as part of his official duties.
According to the Daily Mail, Peter and Margaret were in each other's company
each day. The Daily Mail also noted that the princess would later tell one of her friends:
"We rode together every morning in that wonderful country, in marvelous weather.
That's when I really fell in love with him."
In the 2017 biography Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, Craig Brown wrote that the
princess and Townsend started seeing each other when Townsend was still married with two sons.
Brown also claimed that Townsend had asked for a room next to the princess during a royal event
in Northern Ireland. It goes without saying that a teenager falling in love with a married father
of two, who is twice her age, would be shocking even in today's tabloids. It's no wonder Princess
Margaret's love affair with Townsend was such a huge tabloid story over half a century ago.