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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sian Hewitt

What is Frogmore Cottage? The Royal residence Harry and Meghan have been evicted from

Prince Harry is currently in the midst of a High Court battle with the Daily Mirror, who he is suing for damages over alleged unlawful information gathering.

He returned home to California on Friday, having spent three nights at Frogmore Cottage while fighting the ongoing legal case.

It was reported earlier this year that King Charles III had reportedly taken Frogmore Cottage from the Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and offered the keys to controversial royal Prince Andrew.

Speaking to the Sun, an insider claimed The King “evicted” the couple from the property, which is owned by the Royal family.

In addition, a highly placed Royal insider told the Standard how Harry and Meghan will have to “rent their own place” if they want to live in the UK from now.

Harry and Meghan are now living in the US full-time and have reportedly put plans in motion to have their belongings still in Frogmore shipped over to their new pad in California.

Harry and Meghan have reportedly been evicted (Dominic Lipinski / Getty Images)

It is claimed that King Charles has instead offered the home, based in Windsor, to Prince Andrew, who has been engulfed in scandal and removed from public Royal life. He has been said to be resistant to moving to the cottage.

A Royal insider told The Sun: “This surely spells the end of Harry and Meghan’s time in the UK.”

The paper reports it was his Spare autobiography that was the final straw for Charles, who decided to have the Sussexes removed from the house.

What and where is Frogmore Cottage?

Frogmore Cottage is a historic Grade II listed home on the Frogmore estate. Built in 1801 at the direction of Queen Charlotte in the gardens near Frogmore House, Frogmore Cottage is part of the Crown Estate, and is owned by the King. It is based in Windsor.

When did Harry and Meghan live there?

The late Queen gifted Frogmore Cottage to Harry and Meghan following their wedding in 2018. The house was owned by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle until March 2023.

Why was there controversy over their time in the home?

The couple faced criticism when they used £2.4m of taxpayer money to renovate the property to reportedly make it “livable”.

The 10-bedroom house had months of extensive renovations and had previously been split into sections for offices, but was returned to a single residence. Other major works included replacing ceiling beams and floor joists as well as rewiring the electrical system, and installing new gas and water mains.

They ended up paying it back in full when they moved to California. The news of the tax refund came in the wake of confirmation that the couple signed a multi-million dollar contract with Netflix, and reports that they are no longer receiving funding from the Royal Family. Even though they bought their family home across the pond themselves, Frogmore Cottage remained their UK residence until now.

Are Harry and Meghan likely to be upset about the so-called eviction?

The home is said to be “close to” the pair’s hearts, with it being where Harry popped the question. Their engagement photos were taken in the grounds of Frogmore House, the larger, grander house on the estate, and their evening wedding reception was also held there.

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