Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially vacated their former UK home, Frogmore Cottage, Buckingham Palace has confirmed.
The property, located on the King’s Windsor Estate comes six months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were asked to move out.
At the time, a spokesperson from Archewell Foundation (the organisation founded by Harry and Meghan) told Hello!, “We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”
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A source then claimed to Page Six that the eviction process had begun on January 12, the day after Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare was released.
According to Hello!, Harry and Meghan considered the loss of Frogmore Cottage as a low blow and were especially sad about leaving the property as it was a gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
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However, it is important to note that the Queen only gave them to lease to the property, not the property itself, which is why they can and have been evicted.
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Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse released the following statement on behalf of the crown:
“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage. The Duke and Duchess have repaid the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset.”
Harry and Meghan have been predominantly living in California since 2020, when they officially stepped back from royal duties.
But they’ve stayed at Frogmore Cottage multiple times since then. Most recently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stayed there when they attended the Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
Harry and Meghan also stayed in their UK home in early 2022 when they attended Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. During that visit, the couple threw their daughter, Lilibet’s first birthday party at Frogmore Cottage.
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The cottage went under extensive renovations in 2019 which reportedly cost between AU$3.5million to AU$4million.
However, while the Sovereign Grant (a fund financed by taxpayers that’s used to pay for the royal’s various expenses) initially paid for the renovation, Harry and Meghan paid back these costs out of their own money.
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It’s been reported that King Charles wants Prince Andrew to move into Frogmore Cottage now that Harry and Meghan have officially vacated.
The disgraced younger brother of the King currently lives in the 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor where he has resided with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson since the 2002 death of the Queen Mother.
If (and when) Andrew and Sarah move in, they will share the property with their youngest daughter Princess Eugenie, her husband, and their two young children, August and Ernest.
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By moving into Frogmore Cottage, the Royal Lodge would then be free for the heir apparent Prince William and his family of five to move into.
Currently, Prince William and his wife Princess Catherine reside at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor.
