Malta palazzo that served as Queen Elizabeth’s home on sale for €6 million

The grand palazzo that served as the residence of Princess Elizabeth, later Queen, and Prince Philip between 1949 and 1951, is up for sale for €6 million.

Villa Guardamangia is privately owned by Marika Schembri and her siblings and the building is scheduled as a Grade 2 monument and is in a dilapidated state.

The NGO Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar has called for its restoration and the government was reportedly attempting to expropriate and restore the villa.

In 2015, Queen Elizabeth, during her stay at San Anton Palace, said that the villa “looks rather sad now”.

The 1,560sqm property has sea views over Marsamxett Harbour from the roof terrace, has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, grand ‘sala nobile’, and various rooms leading to a large mature garden of 900 sqm. “The property is just crying out for a great conversion and will make a superb residence or possibly a commercial venue,” say realtors Frank Salt.

Villa Guardamangia was built in 1900 by Sir Augusto Bartolo, and was called Casa Medina.

In 1929, it was leased to Louis Mountbatten, who had interest in it because of its proximity to the Marsa horse racing track and golf course. 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, 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 Castille.

Mountbatten eventually passed the villa to the royal couple and they resided there continuously between 1949 and 1951.