Queen Elizabeth II’s Old Maltese Hometown Discussing Whether To Rename Street In Her Honour
The local council of Pieta’, the town Queen Elizabeth II had famously lived in as a princess between 1949 and 1951, is discussing whether to rename a street in honour of the late monarch.
Pieta’ councillors Mark Pisani and Josef Fitzpatrick have formally proposed renaming Telgħet Gwardamangia, the street that houses the Queen’s old Villa Gwardamangia home, into Triq ir-Reġina Eliżabetta II.
Pieta’ mayor Zoya Attard told Lovin Malta that the council agreed to engage in an open conversation with residents prior to making a decision.
“Even though Villa Gwardamangia is part of Pieta’s history, even the name Telgħet Gwardamangia is part of the town’s history so we want to take both into consideration,” she said.
Pieta' mayor Zoya Attard
Asked whether she personally agrees with the proposal, Attard said she is in two minds because of the above-mentioned reasons.
“I want to see what residents think about it first as they might make some arguments about why the name shouldn’t be changed,” she said.
Queen Elizabeth II had resided in Villa Gwardamangia during her early years of marriage to Prince Philip, who was stationed in Malta as a naval officer just after World War II.
She had described her time living in Malta as one of the best moments of her life as it was the only time she could live normally.
In 2019, the Maltese government purchased the villa from its private owners with the aim of converting it into a museum.
The plan is to have visitor amenities on the ground floor providing a general context of the relations between Malta and Great Britain through the ages and an explanation as to why the royal couple came to Malta.
In contrast, the first floor will focus on a historic house approach, reconstructing it as it was during Princess Elizabeth’s residence in the mid-20th century.
Cover photo: Left: Pieta’ mayor Zoya Attard, Right: Queen Elizabeth II’s old home of Villa Gwardamangia in Telgħet Gwardamangia, Inset: Queen Elizabeth II
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