The romantic tale of The Prince and Princess of Wales, who met at university, famously began at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. They first crossed paths during their first year while living at St Salvator's Halls of Residence and eventually moved in together.
Now married for 13 years and parents to three children, their early student life sounds idyllic. In their second year, Prince William and Kate chose to share a home with two other housemates, but by their third and fourth years, they had a private off-campus home to themselves, owned by one of William's distant relatives.
However, it seems that the couple almost didn't manage to live together in their second year due to issues their landlord had with previous male tenants. Upon hearing about potential problems, Kate took matters into her own hands to secure the house for herself, William, and two close friends.
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During their first year of studies, both Prince William and Kate were residents of St Salvator's Halls of Residence and quickly formed a friendship. This budding relationship led them to rent a house together with two other students in their second year.
The future Prince and Princess of Wales chose to reside at 13A Hope Street near the university with friends Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale. However, during the viewings, Kate discovered there might be a hurdle preventing her from living with William, reports the Mirror.
Charlotte Smith, the landlord, previously told ivillage.co.uk: "We'd had an unfortunate experience with some boys in the flat once before and we were determined not to have young men there again. Broken furniture, broken windows – there was a lot of damage, so that put us off really."
"I said to this young lady we'd really rather not have more boys and she said, 'What if I were to tell you that it was Prince William? '" After some consideration, Smith and her husband allowed William and Fergus to move in. She later described the prince as a "very friendly, very charming...thoroughly nice man."
For their third and fourth years at university, the couple decided to relocate to Balgove House at Strathtyrum, a vast private estate just outside St Andrews.
The estate is owned by wealthy landowner Henry Cheape, a distant cousin of William's and a close friend of the Royal Family. The rural home was made secure for the young couple with unmarked police cars patrolling the estate and the house itself set behind a large wall with bomb-proof doors and windows.
Despite the various security measures, Kate and William reportedly loved hosting their many friends at the property – so much so that they installed a champagne fridge.
The family of five made the move to Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Estate at the close of summer 2022, with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis all starting their education at the nearby Lambrook School. Nestled in the heart of the Crown Estate's private 655-acre Royal park, Adelaide Cottage was originally constructed in 1831 as a haven for Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV.
The cottage also held a special place in Queen Victoria's heart, as she often enjoyed her breakfast there. The property underwent a significant makeover in 2015 and now boasts some truly lavish decor.
It's been reported that the master bedroom features a ceiling decorated with gilded dolphins and rope detailing.
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