The late Queen gifted Frogmore Cottage to Duke and Duchess of Sussex as a wedding present in 2018.
The Duke and Duchess made an “awkward” assumption regarding Frogmore Cottage.(Image: Craig Barritt/Getty Images)
Prince Harry has been left “furious and in tears” after making an assumption about Frogmore Cottage, which was gifted to himself and his wife, Meghan Markle, by the late Queen as a wedding present back in 2018. While a pleasant gift at the time, it has caused further heartbreak many years on.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex lived in Frogmore Cottage from April 2019 to early 2020, when the couple decided to step down from their royal duties and relocate to Canada, before settling in Los Angeles. At the time, it was the assumption of the couple that they would reside in the cottage when they returned to visit the UK.
However in March 2023, as a result of these shocking decisions, King Charles ordered the couple to evict the cottage. In turn, this had left Prince Harry and his family without an official royal residence, reports the Mirror.
At the time of the eviction notice, Harry and Meghan had been living abroad for three years. However, not only due to their initial “awkward” assumption regarding their stake over the property, the couple was said to be very upset about the decision.
The late Queen gifted the couple the home after a wedding present in 2018.(Image: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Royal author Tom Quinn said at the time: “Harry and Meghan imagined Frogmore would always be there for them even if they came back to the UK for just a few weeks each year and even if they were no longer working royals.
“At the time, few people realised what a slap in the face the eviction from Frogmore felt like for Harry – it was the last straw. Harry was absolutely furious and in tears about being evicted from Frogmore – he felt his father had no right to do it and that it was purely vindictive.”
He added: “Harry couldn’t see that choosing to stop being a working royal would inevitably mean being deprived of his royal residence. Harry took it as a cruel rejection – a painful reminder of all that he felt when his father fought with his mother during their long drawn out, painful divorce.
“For many Harry is just a poor little rich kid behaving like a spoiled brat, but Harry sees himself as the eternal victim.”
Featuring five bedrooms, Frogmore Cottage is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle. In 2019 the home was renovated, which cost the taxpayer £2.4 million. However, the Duke and Duchess agreed to pay back the money for refurbishments when they stepped back from their royal duties.
Harry and Meghan were last at the cottage in 2022 when they visited the UK to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Their daughter Lilibet’s first birthday was also hosted at the home.
The relationship between Prince Harry and his father has become strained over the years.(Image: LOIC VENANCE via Getty Images)
By the end of June in 2023, a Sussex spokesperson released a statement saying: “We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”
Since handing the keys to Frogmore Cottage back, Harry’s relationship with his father has continued to deteriorate. The Prince recently lost his legal challenge over the level of security his family is entitled to while in the UK, which he followed up with a bombshell interview.
Speaking to the BBC, Harry shared: “I don’t know how much longer my father has, he won’t speak to me because of this security stuff. It would be nice to reconcile.”
He also claimed that his security case felt like an “establishment stitch up” and suggested that his father, King Charles, could have changed the outcome.
Following these events, a source has revealed that reconciliation with the royals is unlikely to happen. The insider said: “There is zero trust. The family feels that private conversations with Harry are not possible.”
Quoted as a former friend by Hello!, the source added: “He needs the world to forgive him. His family have never bent on their stance, which is that he should not take up issues in public.
“It’s taken its toll. He sees things everywhere, he picks battles with everybody and that’s tiring. You can’t live in permanent battle mode. You’re a 40-year-old man. You’ve got to stop fighting the world.”
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