Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, have been asked to give up residence at Frogmore Cottage.
The residence was gifted for their use by the late Queen Elizabeth II. A spokesman for the couple said,
We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”
The request comes ahead of the May coronation King Charles III and this event has prompted a major government review of royal household finances. Frogmore Cottage is part of the Crown Estate.
In Spare, Harry says he asked his grandmother to help after he and Meghan found their quarters at Nottingham Cottage in London too small. The queen recommended Frogmore, which she said was lovely but at the time “a bit of a building site.” Harry described it as
charming, full of potential… a dream come true.”
The renovation of the property was another mini scandal since they used $3.2 million of taxpayer money to renovate it. But they repaid the money after they announced they were quitting their jobs as working royals.
Calling it Frogxit, the Sun UK, cites unnamed sources saying that the home has been offered to Prince Andrew and that the king plans to cut off his brother’s royal allowance of around $250,000 per year.
Frogmore would be a downgrade for Prince Andrew as his current residence, Royal Lodge, is on 98 acres and has;
- 30 rooms, including 7 bedrooms
- a conservatory
- a gatehouse
- an indoor pool
- Gardener’s Cottage
- Chapel Lodge
- 6 Lodge Cottages
- Police security accommodations
Andrew is leasing the Royal Lodge from the Crown Estate for a one-time payment of $1 million in 2003, with a 75 year lease. Andrew has spent roughly $7.5 million renovating the property and it’s worth upwards of $30 million in today’s market.
Charles has signaled that he wants to put the monarchy on a tighter budget, and Brits have been watching to see if that translates to more modest lifestyles for the royal family.
Harry has said publicly that he wants to mend his relations with his family, but his eviction doesn’t signal him being welcomed back into the royal fold.
It’s not clear if Harry and Meghan will come in May for the coronation. And where in the world WOULD they stay?
Are there any royal bedrooms available?
Buckingham Palace has 52 bedrooms (+ 188 staff rooms) and Windsor Castle has 1000 rooms, 92 of them bedrooms. No doubt all of them booked for King Charles III’s “stripped back” coronation which will cost taxpayers an estimated $120 million.
So much for a “modest” royal lifestyle.
The Sun reported that the Sussexes are being asked to leave Frogmore Cottage to make way for a disgraced royal. https://t.co/DZtb9S1oBV
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) March 1, 2023
(Photos, Netflix, Wikimedia Commons; via, Independent, The Washington Post)
