It’s safe to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not on the best terms with King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family. The many interviews, the Netflix series, and the Duke’s memoir left a good deal of royalists seething. For his part, it was claimed that Charles had finally had enough. In January last year, he evicted Harry and Meghan from their UK base of Frogmore Cottage.
At the time, the couple were said to have been shocked by the now-monarch’s decision. New details have arisen, however, and one report suggests Harry even asked King Charles one baffling question when they got the news.
After their royal marriage in 2018, Harry and Meghan lived at Kensington Palace briefly. However, that residence was Prince William and Kate Middleton’s home. The new couple then moved into Nottingham Cottage, and after a short stay, they took their belongings and moved to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Cottage grounds. It was a wedding gift they received from the late Queen Elizabeth.
Frogmore Cottage
Frogmore Cottage has been a royal residence since 1792. Built in the 1680s, the name was taken from the many frogs in the area. Since then, many members of the Royal Family have called it home. Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, first purchased Frogmore Cottage as a country home for her family, and later, it became the home for the Duchess of Kent. Queen Victoria’s mother was laid to rest in a mausoleum on its grounds.
In the 1980s, Frogmore was repaired and redecorated. And about 40 years later, it got two new tenants: Harry and Meghan.
The couple renovated the royal estate at a cost of around $3 million. When they stepped down from their royal roles, Harry and Meghan agreed to pay back the entire price tag to UK taxpayers. However, they still were allowed to keep Frogmore Cottage as their UK base when visiting.
It was reported that the royal estate had been the “only sufficiently secure refuge in the country” for Harry and Meghan since they stepped down from their royal duties, as they lost the benefit of police protection in the country.
Then things took a rather different turn. Just days after Harry’s book Spare was released, last January, King Charles made his mind up about the future of the property.
A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan later confirmed that they had been evicted from Frogmore Cottage.
“We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” the spokesperson told Vanity Fair.