 In 1893, it was given by the future King Edward VII, then the Prince of Wales, as a wedding gift to his son Prince George, the Duke of York (later King George V), who lived there with his wife, the future Queen Mary, after their marriage.The couple lived there for 33 years until the death of Queen Alexandra in 1925; their five youngest children were born there.George V loved York Cottage, which is said to resemble "three Merrie England pubs joined together."