What’s Next for Queen’s Playhouse Now That Andrew Has Vacated Royal Lodge…See More

What’s Next for Queen’s Playhouse Now That Andrew Has Vacated Royal Lodge…See More

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?
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.
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.”