It was where the future Queen and her new husband were happiest – a place where they could live free from royal protocol.

The two years Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip spent living in Malta from 1949 were forever treasured by the couple.

Today, exclusive pictures have shown Meghan Markle’s own time on the Mediterranean island in 2015 – when she visited to explore her ancestry.

But whilst Meghan spent just three days in Malta, the Queen and Philip built happy lives on what was then British territory, living in a two-storey villa that still stands.

They hosted enjoyed parties, picnics and boat expeditions and Elizabeth was even able to take a trip to the hairdressers on her own.

The Queen later spoke of how their time in Malta was one of the best periods of her life because it was the only time she was able to live ‘normally’.

She would return six times during her reign, including in 2007 when she and Philip celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

The couple moved to the island to allow Philip to pursue his career in the Royal Navy.

He initially served as First Lieutenant on the destroyer HMS Chequers, before being given control of the frigate HMS Magpie in 1950.

It was while in Malta that Philip triggered global speculation that Princess Elizabeth was expecting her second child.

While posing for a picture with Elizabeth at Villa Guardamangia, Philip gave a two-finger signal. Anne was born five months later.

Elizabeth and Philip also enjoyed going to the cinema while in Malta, and the princess would watch her husband play polo.

Their cherished days of freedom came to an end in July 1951, when they returned home to Clarence House amid George VI’s failing health.

The Princess was needed to help shoulder the responsibility of engagements and royal tours.

During her final visit to the country in 2015, the Queen said: ‘Visiting Malta is always very special for me. I remember happy days here with Prince Philip when we were first married.’

The then-Maltese president Marie Louise Coleiro presented the Queen and the duke with a watercolour of Villa Guardamangia during the trip.

Villa Guardamangia is in the process of being restored to its former glory after being bought by Heritage Malta – the country’s national conservation agency.

The Queen and Prince Philip are pictured at Villa Guardamangia in 1950. The couple lived at the home between 1949 and 1951. This photo led to global speculation that the Queen was pregnant with her second child. Philip is seen giving a two-finger signal

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While in Malta, Philip was First Lieutenant on the destroyer HMS Chequers, while Princess Elizabeth was a happy naval wife and mother – first to Charles in 1948 and then Anne in August 1950

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A man walks past the entrance of the Queen and Philip’s former home Villa Guardamangia on the outskirts of Valletta in Malta, July 2020

For many years after the royal couple departed, the property was occupied by a woman who lived alone, using some of the ground floor rooms.

It fell into disrepair, but repeated government attempts to buy it from the owners were rebuffed until 2020.

It was finally acquired by Heritage Malta for about €5million (£4million).

Pictures taken in 2021 showed the sorry state it was in.

Statues that once stood in the garden were piled up in a room, the servants’ quarters were derelict, bathrooms were destroyed and the traditional patterned Maltese floor tiling – which the Queen is said to have found cold – had faded.

The ultimate aim is to open up the property to the public, with the ground floor exploring relations between Malta and the royal family through the ages.

On the first floor, a ‘historic house approach’ will be used, with a reconstruction of how it looked in the 1950s when the royal couple lived there.