‘It looks rather sad now’ – Queen’s dismay at neglected state of old Malta home

Queen Elizabeth II has expressed her dismay at how her former home in Malta “looks rather sad now” after falling into a state of neglect over the years.

The Queen lived in Villa Guardamangia for periods between 1949 and 1951 while her husband Prince Philip was stationed on Malta as a Royal Navy officer, making the Pieta home the only house outside the UK in which a British monarch has resided.

She received a reminder of her days as a princess when president Marie-Louise Coliero Preca presented her with a painting of Villa Guardamangia after an official welcome at San Anton Palace ahead of the CHOGM summit.

The painting, composed by Edwin Galea, shows the villa in its former glory, with a horse and cart outside.

“Oh look, Guardamangia, that’s very nice to have,” the Daily Mail reported the Queen as saying in reaction to the gift. “It looks rather sad now”.

The villa’s neglected state means that the Queen will be denied a final visit to her old home during her stay in Malta. The government has said that it has long since embarked on a process to expropriate the property due to its historical heritage, but has run into legal complications with its private owners.