The property belonged to a Catholic priest in around 1814, at the start of the British colonisation of Malta. It is believed that the seaside property was built around the mid-18th century. Later, in the 20th century, it belonged to several prominent Maltese families, which included the Sant Fourniers, Bartolos and Schembris. The building was given much of its present appearance around 1900 by its then owner,
Sir Augusto Bartolo, when the mansion was called
Casa Medina. It was originally a farmhouse. It consists of 18 rooms in the living quarters, stables for the animals, a large garden area with a walk-path and a war shelter. Around 1929, the villa was first leased to the then
Lord Louis Mountbatten, and frequented it while stationed in Malta as Commander-in-Chief of the
Mediterranean Fleet in the 1950s, by which time he was fully styled as
Admiral of the Fleet The 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. When the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh came to Malta at first they lodged at
San Anton Palace, hosted by
Lord Strickland and his wife. Princess Elizabeth (later
Queen Elizabeth II) and her then-
fiancé,
Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten,
R.N. (formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, and later
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh), first stayed at Villa Guardamangia in 1946. The couple returned a number of times between then and 1952, while Philip was
stationed in Malta as a Royal Navy officer, and Elizabeth worked with the
Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen Families Association (SSAFA) at
Auberge de Castile. Lord Mountbatten of Burma eventually passed the villa to the royal couple and they resided there continuously between 1949 and 1951. It has been suggested that their eldest child,
King Charles III, was conceived at the villa. Queen Elizabeth II visited Villa Guardamangia during her state visit to Malta in 1992 and, in 2007, she and the Duke of Edinburgh celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary there. The Queen was given a painting of Villa Guardamangia by the Maltese High Commissioner in London, Norman Hamilton, in 2013. When the Queen was in Malta for the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November 2015, she asked to see the villa, but was reportedly refused by its owners, The building was put up for sale in 2019 with an asking price of €5.9 million. Much of the building's contents, including furniture, artwork and antiques, were sold at auction in September 2019. Following a campaign for the building to be restored and opened to the public, it was acquired by the
Government of Malta in October 2019 and entrusted to Heritage Malta for extensive restoration works. ==Building and gardens==