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Princess Elizabeth was the first of many royal children to enjoy playing in Y Bwthyn Bach
Once described as the “most glamorous Wendy house ever”, Y Bwthyn Bach became a memorable childhood feature for generations of the Royal Family.
The miniature two-storey thatched cottage was gifted to a young Princess Elizabeth in 1932 by the people of Wales.
It was installed in the grounds of her family’s then home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, and has remained there ever since, most recently in the care of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, who has lived in the mansion since 2004.
But with the late Queen’s third child stripped of his titles and evicted from the royal residence, what does the future hold for the cottage – and could it even be returned to Wales?
Y Bwthyn Bach – Welsh for The Little Cottage – was built in Cardiff and presented to Princess Elizabeth’s parents, the then Duke and Duchess of York, for their daughter’s sixth birthday.
Designed by architect Edmund Willmott, the cottage was built by Welsh craftsmen from materials left over from the construction of Llandough Hospital in Vale of Glamorgan, which opened in 1933.
It was a carefully planned miniature version of a real-life house, with four 5ft-high rooms – two upstairs and two downstairs.
It even included its own working telephone, electric cooker, fridge and running water in the kitchen, luxuries even for real homes in the 1930s.
“It’s called a cottage but it was more like a replica of a very comfortable house,” said historian Dr Elin Jones.
Museum Wales
The cottage was assembled in Wales before being transported in its entirety to Royal Lodge in Windsor
“It’s an enchanting place and I remember seeing pictures of it when I was a child, and seeing, at the time, Prince Charles and Princess Anne playing in what looked like a fantastic Wendy House,” said Dr Jones.
At the time of the gift, Elizabeth’s parents were the Duke and Duchess of York, before her father ascended to the throne as George VI, following his brother Edward VIII’s abdication.
Custody of the cottage later passed to Andrew when he was Duke of York and he reportedly paid for its upkeep, while his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie were among the next generation of royals to enjoy it.
Princess Beatrice oversaw a refurbishment of the cottage and later described it as the “most glamorous Wendy house ever” in a BBC documentary celebrating Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.
“Granny and her sister [Princess Margaret] played here growing up,” she said at the time. “We have been lucky enough to play here, and cousins and second cousins.”
Princess Beatrice showed Andrew Marr around Y Bwthyn Bach for a BBC series
But with the removal of Andrew’s titles, the future of the cottage is unclear.
Buckingham Palace confirmed to the BBC that ownership of Y Bwthyn Bach currently sits with King Charles III.
“Both the Royal Family and the governments of England and Wales have other things to think about, which are rather more pressing and important than a child’s plaything,” said Dr Jones.
“But it could be argued that the best place for this little cottage… might be for it to come back to Wales and go to St Fagans as part of the history of our country.
“The house is an interesting expression of the loyalty felt by Welsh people towards the Royal family for centuries.”
But those ties are “weakening, loosening, because of devolution and the current changes in society”, the historian said.
Museum Wales
A replica of Y Bwthyn Bach has been kept by the Museum Wales
Dr Jones added: “I think Y Bwthyn Bach is a fossil, really. It’s historically interesting, you could argue that it is a part of Welsh history which might be better placed in a museum in Wales, like so many other relics of our past.”
Royal enthusiast Anne Daley, from Cardiff, hopes the cottage will continue to be used by younger members of the family rather than risk falling into disuse.
“It’s just another cottage that’s now empty – how many other are empty on that estate now?” she said.
“What about the Prince of Wales and Catherine? I wonder if their children would play in it. It’s only going to be forgotten about, dilapidated, unless Prince William lets his kids play there.”
If that were not the case, she too would like to see it return to Wales.
“It was a gift so it belongs to them,” she said. “I’m not sure really if you can ask for a gift back.
“But, historically, I’d love to see it, the public have never seen the inside.
“I would suggest bring it back to St Fagans museum and we can all have a look at it, even if you need to demolish it brick by brick and put it back together.”
