Villa Guardamangia

Villa Guardamangia, formerly known as Casa Medina and sometimes referred to as Casa Guardamangia, is a 16,791 square feet (1,559.9 m2) townhouse in Gwardamanġa, Pietà, Malta, which served as the residence of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh (later Queen Elizabeth II), and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, between 1949 and 1951, while Philip was stationed in Malta as a naval officer. The property belonged to a Catholic priest in around 1814, during the start of the British colonization of Malta. It is believed that the seaside property was built around the mid-18th century. Later in the 20th century it belonged to several prominent Maltese families, among which include the Sant Fourniers, Bartolos and Schembris. The building took much of its present form in 1900 by Sir Augusto Bartolo and was called Casa Medina. It was originally a farmhouse. It consists of 18 rooms in the living quarters, stables for the animals, a large garden area with a walk-path and a war shelter. In around 1929, the villa was first leased to Louis Mountbatten, who had interest in it because of its proximity to Marsa, which has a horse racing track and a golf course that suited his lavish lifestyle. The villa was in a bad state and divided into apartments, leading the Mountbattens to reside in two rooms at the Hotel Phoenicia in Floriana while the house was being renovated. Mountbatten bought the villa after some time and frequented it while stationed in Malta as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet in the 1950s. When the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh came to Malta at first they lodged at San Anton Palace, hosted by Gerald Strickland and his wife. Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) and her then-fiancé, Philip Mountbatten (later Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh), first stayed at Guardamangia in 1946. The couple returned a number of times between then and 1952, while Philip was stationed in Malta as a Royal Navy officer and Elizabeth worked with the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Families Association (SSAFA) at Auberge de Castile. Mountbatten eventually passed the villa to the royal couple and they resided there continuously between 1949 and 1951. It has been suggested that their eldest child, Prince Charles, was conceived at the villa. The Queen has described her stay on Malta as one of the best periods of her life, as it was the only time she was able to live "normally". Queen Elizabeth II visited Villa Guardamangia during her state visit to Malta in 1992 and, in 2007, she and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 60th anniversary there. The Queen was given a painting of Villa Guardamangia by the Maltese High Commissioner in London, Norman Hamilton, in 2013. When the Queen was in Malta for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2015, she asked to see the villa, but was reportedly refused by its owners, the family of Ġużè Schembri, as it was in a poor state of repair and subject of a dispute between its owners and the government. President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca presented the Queen with another painting of the villa's façade. The building was for sale in 2019 with the asking price at €5,900,000, but if it had to be bought from an agent it would have been sold for around €6,500,000 or more. Public request has asked the Maltese Government to purchase the building as state property, restore it and open it to the public. Significant movable property were sold off in a public auction in September 2019. Word of mouth has it that the British monarchy was interested in purchasing the building. Villa Guardamangia is a potential tourist attraction once restored. In a non-scientific 2015 online poll, 84% of respondents stated that they would visit the villa if it were restored and opened to the public. The villa is a common landmark associated with the royal family. The Daily Telegraph has mistakenly portrayed the front façade of Villa Luginsland in Rabat as the back of Villa Guardamangia. Villa Guardamangia was privately owned by Marika Schembri and her siblings. In June 2019, the Villa was put up for sale for €6 million (£5.3 million). However, it was bought for €5 million. Since October 2019, the villa belongs exclusively to the Government of Malta. As of June 2020, the Maltese government is conducting extensive restoration works on the villa. The British Royal Family will be invited to the villa's reopening.