Villa Guardamangia, a palazzo-style mansion on the outskirts of Malta’s capital, Valletta, served as a much-loved base for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in the early years of their marriage.

Then a Royal Navy wife, the princess lived on the island for periods between 1949 and 1951 while the duke was serving on HMS Chequers with the Mediterranean Fleet.

Their stay in Malta offered them their only real taste of life as a relatively ordinary couple.

Princess Elizabeth enjoyed parties, picnics and boat expeditions, and was even able to take a trip to the hairdressers for the first time while living in the villa which was then leased by Philip’s uncle, Earl Mountbatten.

On Wednesday, the late Queen and Philip’s youngest son, Edward, the current Duke of Edinburgh, with wife Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, visited his parents’ former home, taking to the roof and the gardens where the princess and her husband were photographed more than 70 years ago.

Elizabeth, a future Queen, divided her time between England, where a young Prince Charles remained with his grandparents, and Malta, leaving for a time in 1950 to give birth to Princess Anne.

The six-bedroom home, which fell into disrepair in recent decades, went on sale in 2019 for £5.6 million.

It was bought by the Maltese government to be restored and made into a tourist attraction.

Giancarlo Azzopardi, assistant curator at Heritage Malta, insisted the late Queen was more than just a “regular sailor’s wife” while staying on the island nation.

“The princess was living here at a time when there was a question about whether or not independence was going to happen and the princess was at work putting on a public image for Britain, for post-war Britain,” Mr Azzopardi said.

“Despite the idea, the misconception, that she was here as a regular sailor’s wife, she was quite busy. Every single day she was at an event.”

She would spend some of her “little” free time at a local polo club, he added.

The late Queen spoke of her “deep affection” for the country she once called home.

“Visiting Malta is always very special for me. I remember happy days here with Prince Philip when we were first married,” she said.

In Malta in 2015, then-Maltese president Marie Louise Coleiro presented the Queen and the duke with a watercolour of Villa Guardamangia.

The Queen and Philip also made a poignant return to the country to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in 2007.

In 1992, the Queen was driven past the villa. She ordered her car to slow down so she could see her former home. But it remained too dilapidated over the years for a nostalgic visit.

When on sale in 2019, the property was described by the estate agents as being of “great historical value”, with sea views over Marsamxett Harbour from its roof terrace.

With an imposing wide-fronted facade and arched entrance hall, it has a lounge, dining room, living room, kitchen, six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a grand “sala nobile” and two garages.