For them, it is a place steeped in history. The one with a capital “H”. Symbol of happy days, far from the hustle and bustle of the Court. On October 9, 2024, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie are expected in Pietà, a town neighboring Valletta, on the third day of their official visit to Malta as part of the 60th anniversary of its independence. This is where Villa Guardamangia is located. The prince’s parents, Queen Elizabeth – then Crown Princess – and Prince Philip resided there from 1949 to 1951. King George VI’s son-in-law was then stationed on the island as an officer in the Royal Navy. “In 1949, he was appointed first lieutenant and second in command of the HMS Chequers. In July 1950, he was promoted to lieutenant commander and, in September, he took command of the frigate HMS Magpie“, reports the Royal Collection Trust.
For the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, this visit is simply a trip down memory lane. They are also the first members of the British royal family to go there since 1951, recalls the Telegraph. For this discovery of Villa Guardamangia, the couple is accompanied by Owen Bonnici, Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Local Government, and members of Heritage Malta. Since June 2020, this organization has been carrying out the renovations of Elisabeth and Philip’s former home. Having fallen into ruin over the decades, it was acquired five years ago by the Maltese government. As the national daily wrote at the time Times of Maltathe then Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, “told Parliament that the residence had the potential to become a major tourist attraction”.
Alongside Owen Bonnici and the Heritage Malta teams, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie enter the villa where the future Elizabeth and her husband spent the best years of their lives. They also stroll through the garden, recreating one of the legendary photos of the couple in Guardamangia in 1949. Photos of the prince’s parents are also exhibited there for the occasion. Looking at them, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh struggle to hide their emotion. That of walking in the footsteps of the two people they loved so much.
For the Minister of Culture, “accompanying them for a visit to the Villa Guardamangia is an immense pleasure”, he confides on his X account (ex-Twitter). “And even greater satisfaction to announce to Prince Edward that we have obtained 10.2 million euros in European funds for the restoration project,” adds Owen Bonnici. Happy news he received the day before their arrival. “We expect a delay of four to six years,” says Giancarlo Azzopardi. Quoted by the Times of Maltathe deputy curator of the project explains that the money granted by the European Regional Development Fund will mainly be intended for the restoration of Villa Guardamangia.
During their visit, Prince Edward and Sophie also met Elizabeth Pulé, whose mother had been governess to the future Queen Elizabeth when she lived in Malta. “Your mother was very popular,” the Duke tells him. “I know my mother saw her several times in the crowd in Malta, she never forgot her,” he adds. Words that go straight to the heart of Elizabeth Pulé. “I was 5 years old and I often accompanied him. Everyone loved him. Her name was Joséphine, but we called her Sergeant Major Jessie!”, the latter confided when Point of view met her in 2022.
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“What also comes through very strongly is the deep and sincere affection that so many people on this island have for my parents and for the very special time they spent here with their young family, and it was very lovely to visit the villa where they stayed during this period”, declared Prince Edward, in the evening, during a reception at the residence of the British High Commissioner. “The number of people who asked me if I had already visited the villa and if I was going to do so clearly shows how important it is to everyone here,” he adds. During their stay in the country, Edward and Sophie were able to appreciate the sincere attachment of the Maltese people for Elisabeth and Philip, wishing to continue to keep their memory alive on this island that they loved so much.
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