The two properties are but a stone’s throw away from each other, but the Princess of Wales’ former London flat is on a very different scale to the palace she would later call home.
Kate Middleton, now 41, and her younger sister Pippa shared the three-bedroom apartment in Chelsea after their parents Michael and Carole bought the £780,000 home in 2002.
The sisters lived in the flat while pursuing careers in buying and marketing for luxury brands, before moving out once Kate married Prince William in April 2011.
Carole and Michael put the property up for sale for £1.95million in 2018, but it went for under the guide price at £1.88million in September 2019.
Snaps of the home which were taken when it went up for sale show a fresh and modern interior, with three cosy bedrooms and a lavish dining area.
Kate and Pippa Middleton pictured in London shortly before Kate’s marriage to Prince William in 2011. The sisters lived together in Chelsea before the now-Princess of Wales got married
The property is decorated with simple and neutral colours and traditional furniture, oriental-style rugs and comfortable sofas
A spacious dining room has been furnished with patterned curtains and traditional furniture
After meeting Prince William at St Andrew’s University, Kate worked as a part-time accessories buyer for Jigsaw Junior in London.
It was during this time that she lived in Chelsea, not far from the fashionable King’s Road, with Pippa before the sisters moved in with their husbands.
When it went up for sale in 2019, the property’s listing on luxury estate agents Knight Frank revealed the layout and interiors of the lavish townhouse.
Set on a stylish street in a sought after area, the apartment, which is set across three floors, has clean white interiors and cream carpets.
The property is also decorated with traditional furniture, oriental-style rugs and comfortable sofas.
The brick-fronted period conversion was said to include three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a reception room.
It was described as a ‘well-appointed’ apartment ‘in the heart of Old Chelsea’.
As an upper floor maisonette it boasts excellent views over the city and its large windows let in plenty of light.
While the size of the home was far removed from the 20-bedroom Kensington Palace Apartment Kate would later occupy with her husband and three children, the decor was certainly fit for a Princess.
A bedroom is decorated with neutral colours and furnished with London-themed cushions, patterned curtains and traditional furniture
The living or reception room featured pops of colour, with a red sofa, carpet and artwork, as well as a marble fireplace
The property has two bathrooms tiled in golden-coloured marble with modern fittings. The home is also spread across three floors
The classical style of the home was reflected in the furniture of each room.
A spacious dining room was furnished with patterned curtains and traditional furniture.
This included an old-fashioned gold mirror and large antique dining table.
Calm and neutral colours on the sideboards and wall suggest the use of Mrs Middleton’s favourite paint from Farrow & Ball and Cord and Hay, according to The Sunday Times.
Colourful books also lined the shelves, as well as lapis blue vases and selected artwork, which appear to show countryside scenes.
French windows opened up to a balcony, offering somewhere to get some air in the built-up area of London.
In the living room, a striking red sofa and carpet stood out against the more natural tones of another cream settee, giving the flat a more homely feel.
The rooms also appeared homely, and boast a country house style, with floral curtains and large cosy beds.
But a London theme was apparent in one, with red double decker buses embroidered into a pair of decorative cushions.
The kitchen appeared a bit less spacious than the home’s other rooms, and featured oak furnishings with black marble counters and modern fittings.
A small kitchen in the Middleton property has oak furnishings with black marble counters and modern fittings
The bedrooms are decorated with calm and neutral colours and simple furnishings – though it is not known which belonged to Kate and which to Pippa
The staircase and landing in the Chelsea flat, where Kate and Pippa Middleton lived before the elder sister married Prince William
It’s two bathrooms are tiled in golden-coloured marble and are also complete with modern finishes.
The staircase and landing in the Chelsea flat had a simple white wall, with minimalistic artwork decorating the walls.
After sharing the flat with her sister, Kate married William and the couple moved to a four-bedroom farmhouse on the Bodorgan Estate in Anglesey, North Wales, as he completed his RAF training.
Prince William and Kate later moved into Apartment 1A in 2013 after Prince George was born.
The family of five lived in the stunning 20-room home in Kensington Palace, which was near other senior royals’ residences and had a view of Hyde Park.
The royal couple lived there as they brought up their children, George, Charlotte and Louis, until last year and have since moved into the four-bed Adelaide Cottage on the royal estate in Windsor.
Pippa married hedge-fund multi-millionaire James Matthews and the couple spent £1.2million renovating their five-storey London mansion, which already boasted a gym, an underground cinema, a lift, a ‘staff room’ as well as six bedrooms.
The couple then spent around £15million on one of the most beautiful stately homes in Berkshire with her investment banker husband.
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