It’s now been six years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior working royals; leaving their home in England behind to pursue a new life of independence in the US.
After a short stint in Canada, they have now settled in Montecito, where the couple live with their children – Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five – in a stunning $29 million mansion, which boasts nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a guest house, a pool, a play area and even a chicken coop.
However, behind their idyllic new life, Harry and Meghan’s heartbreaking rift with the Royal Family is still far from healed. And last week, it was revealed how the Firm are now set to make an unexpected move that could wipe any ‘trace of Harry and Meghan’ from the royal fold for good.
Due to return to the UK in July, it has been heavily speculated that Harry had been hoping to meet King Charles, as the father and son are widely reported to be taking tentative steps – including their meeting last September – towards a reunion.
So it came as a surprise when, just weeks before his UK return, it was reported that the Palace plan to effectively decimate the changes Harry and Meghan had previously made to their former UK home of Frogmore Cottage and revert the house back to a ‘pre-Meghan and Harry era’.
A source said, ‘It’s been empty for three years. Even Andrew [Mountbatten-Windsor] thought it wasn’t good enough for him to move in. Maybe if they get rid of any trace of Harry and Meghan, then someone within the royal household will fancy it.’
The Firm are now set to make an unexpected move that could wipe any ‘trace of Harry and Meghan’ from the royal fold for good ©Getty Images
Now, while it’s been three years since the Sussexes were officially evicted following the release of Harry’s explosive memoir Spare, we’re told Harry has taken this bid by the royals as a ‘personal’ affront at a time when he had hoped they were finally beginning to bridge the sad divide.
An insider says, ‘This is a huge slap in the face for Harry. Here he is, throwing all his energy into creating a path where he will feel safe bringing his wife and children home to England and right when he’s sure he’s making progress with his father and getting something worked out for the summer, it comes out that all the wonderful updates they made [to Frogmore] are being ripped apart. How are they not supposed to take that personally?
‘He accepts that it doesn’t belong to them, but at the same time he does feel some sense of ownership and attachment to it. The Queen gave it to him and he and Meghan poured their heart and soul into making it a beautiful home, so of course it’s upsetting.’
Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate was the first and only home that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, had built for themselves in the UK. It was also the first home they shared as a married couple and the one they bought their first child, their son Archie, home to.
The Grade II listed building, built in 1801 for Queen Charlotte, is part of the Crown Estate. The five-bedroom property had been gifted to the Sussexes by the late Queen II as a wedding gift, and the couple had set to work immediately transforming the traditional English cottage into a Meghan-approved sanctuary.
Frogmore was converted from five residential units into one larger family home for the couple, which made it a lot more practical. But Harry and Meghan spared no expense in kitting the property out with a yoga studio, a £5000 copper bathtub and interiors designed by a designer Vicky Charles from the Soho House team – the swanky hotels and clubs being a favourite destination of the Sussexes.
Frogmore Cottage was the first and only home that Harry and Meghan had built for themselves in the UK ©Getty Images
And after spending a staggering £2.4 million – which Harry later repaid from his personal finances – the source says Harry believes the decision to strip it all back makes ‘no sense’ and can only be a sign that certain family member have ‘orchestrated’ the plan to ensure that there is no going back for Harry or his family.
‘He and Meghan both believe it’s being done out of sheer pettiness because financially it makes no sense. They spent a lot of money and made the place more modern and liveable; Harry says the only reason he can see to tear it apart, is to spite them,’ the insider says.
‘He has let it be known that he is keen to bring Meghan and the children this summer and would love to stay with them at Frogmore. They both love that cottage and would feel at least some sense of comfort since they designed it to their own taste. He fully believes there are people in his family that orchestrated this to purposely hurt him, whether they will admit that or not.’
It’s been almost four years since Harry and Meghan last visited the UK together for the late Queen’s funeral in 2022. But amid growing reports that Charles hopes to build a stronger relationship with Archie and Lilibet, royal observers have speculated that the Sussexes could return as a family over the summer.
Now, however, we’re told Harry feels this latest move is a deliberate ‘show of disrespect’ towards Meghan after she spent months designing a house that she and Harry may once have hoped would be their forever home. And unsurprisingly, the source says it has become yet another stumbling block in any bid by Harry to encourage her to return to the UK by his side.
We’re told, ‘Even if it isn’t being done out of spite, which he struggles to believe, Harry is taking it as a very loud show if disrespect and so is Meghan. She spearheaded all the changes; it was really her design for the most part, so it would be impossible for her not to take this personally.
‘It certainly doesn’t have her in the mood to head back for a visit. Harry can’t even say he blames her, as much as he still desperately hopes she will be by his side, he full concedes that this is not a welcoming gesture by any means.’
The five-bedroom property had been gifted to the Sussexes by the late Queen II as a wedding gift ©Getty Images
The source adds, ‘It’s so incredibly frustrating for him because every time news like this comes out it makes it infinitely harder for him to feel good about bringing her home. It doesn’t help that no one has reached out to offer reassurance or explain what’s going on. Maybe if they were in the loop, it wouldn’t be as upsetting.’
Meanwhile, Prince William has made his old bold move, announcing his plans to sell 20% of his Duchy of Cornwall Estate to fund community projects, including fighting homelessness and introducing more eco initiatives. Earlier this week it was announced that the estate had listed a £6.65 million Herefordshire farm for sale.
And given that Harry is believed not to have been partial to the inner workings of the Firm for six years now, the source says the family, nor their staff, feel any need to involve Harry in the dealings of the Crown’s property portfolio – including Frogmore.
‘Of course, the feeling behind palace walls is that Frogmore and whatever happens to it is none of their business. There’s no universe where anyone on the staff would call them to give them a heads up about changes to a royal property,’ the insider says.
‘If Harry and Meghan go ahead and air their grievance over this they will not receive any sort of sympathy. They forfeited Frogmore when they gave up their positions as working royals, so they are no longer seen as having any sort of claim to the property.’
However, for Harry, we’re told the ‘demolition’ of Frogmore has come at a personal cost to him and Meghan, as they wave goodbye to the memories their family shared there for the second, and perhaps final, time.
The source says, ‘Any accusations that the palace has some agenda against them will be roundly denied but good luck convincing Harry and Meghan of that. They have both attached a whole lot of meaning to Frogmore.
‘It was the first home they lived in as a married couple and for all their horrible times in the U.K. they still have so many wonderful memories there. It’s actually painful for them to think of it getting demolished and they are looking for someone to blame.’
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