The cute Kensington Palace cottages where Prince William and Prince George lived

When you think of homes owned by the Royal Family, the first few that spring to mind are likely Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham House, but what about the others that the Queen herself has never lived in? One such home is Kensington Palace. The historic building has been the home to everyone from Queen Mary II and King William III to Queen Victoria, but it has never been somewhere the current Queen has lived in.

The palace isn’t just the home of one individual or family as it is seperated up into several different apartments and smaller cottages. The current residents include everyone from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke and Duchess of Kent.

So while you may imagine that each member of The Royal Family lives in a hugely grand home, there are a number of them who live in simpler quaint cottages.

READ MORE: The Queen’s adorable response to pet dog interrupting historic Jubilee photos

Nottingham Cottage, Wren Cottage and Ivy Cottage are all located within the grounds of Kensington Palace and have been the private, grace and favour homes of many notable royals and associates throughout history.

The home that the public know the most about is Nottingham Cottage which is sometimes referred to as Nott Cott. It is owned by The Crown and has been frequently occupied by royals such as Prince William and Prince Harry. Nottingham Cottage was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was named after Nottingham House, the residence of the Earl of Nottingham which was expanded into Kensington Palace by King William III and Queen Mary II.

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Nottingham Cottage has been the home to many royals, as well as many royal staff. Most notably is Marion Crawford, the former governess of Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Following her retirement in 1948, Crawford was given the house for life, and it was decorated for her by Queen Mary using Victorian furniture and floral prints.Crawford had to leave the home in 1950 after she sold personal royal stories to the newspapers.

Other staff to live there include Sir Miles Hunt-Davis, Private Secretary to the Duke of Edinburgh and Robert Fellowes, Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II and brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Before Crawford, the home had been occupied by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester and his wife, Princess Alice. The next royal residents were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who lived at the property for two-and-a-half years after relocating from Anglesey where Prince William had been stationed as a helicopter pilot.

The couple and the then three-month-old Prince George moved into Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace in October 2013, and Prince Harry moved into Nottingham Cottage – the location where he would eventually propose to his wife, Meghan.

Following The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s wedding in 2018, the couple relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, before moving again to Santa Barbara, California.

Another smaller home within the grounds of the huge palace is Wren Cottage. It is the present home of the Duke and Duchess of Kent and appeared in an Instagram video for Prince Edward’s 85th birthday while the Household Division serenaded him.

The last of the grace and favour homes is Ivy Cottage, the former home of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.

The couple lived there together for several years but relocated to Prince Harry and Meghan’s former Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor when they moved to California.

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Rebecca Russell is MyLondon’s Royal Correspondent who covers everything to do with The Royal Family and their history. Rebecca has a strong interest in every era of royal history and particularly enjoys writing and learning about the Georgians, Victorians and the Windsors.

Some of the stories she has written in the past month include a look at the Windsor home that could have been lived in by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the surprising hobby the Queen carried on from her ancestors that has an estimated value of over £10 million and the incredible life of The Countess of Wessex and why she is so close with The Queen.

If you want to get in contact, email: rebecca.russell@reachplc.com.