The sweet life of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their cute little cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle has well and truly come to an end.
If there were any illusions about the pair making a triumphant return to royal life, they have been well and truly quashed by the incoming King, Charles, who has officially evicted them from Frogmore cottage.
The couple, now living in Montecito, California, released a statement on the matter confirming early reports that they had been booted.
A spokesperson said, “We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”
It is important to note the syntax of that sentence. It suggests that the Sussexes would not have left of their own accord and were instead asked to leave by ‘The Firm’.
The Independent reports that the couple are making plans to move any remaining furniture and belongings out of the cottage. It is unsure yet whether the couple will choose to purchase a new UK residence for when they are in the country, or even if another will be provided by King Charles (although this seems unlikely).
The move does not bode well on whether the Sussexes will be invited to the King’s coronation. Given that the celebrations will take place in Windsor (after the ceremony at Westminster Abbey), it would have made sense to let them keep the Frogmore Cottage residence until the fanfare had taken place. That is, if they were due to attend.
There are competing reports about their attendance, but the palace has not confirmed the guest list publicly.
That’s not all, though. There is an extra sting in Harry and Meghan’s eviction from Frogmore Cottage, with The Sun reporting that his disgraced uncle, Prince Andrew, may be chosen as the incoming tenant.
Their sources claim that Andrew is ‘resisting’ being moved out of his 30-room mansion in Windsor called Royal Lodge, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Apparently, moving into the much smaller five-room cottage is not to his tastes. This is yet to be confirmed by either Buckingham Palace or Andrew himself.
The move from Frogmore Cottage be a sore point for Harry and Meghan, as it was their first marital home. When Meghan became pregnant with Archie, she went to every effort to furnish his nursery, selecting vegan paint and gender neutral colours for his room.
Country Living reports that royal family spent 3 million pounds (AUD $5.3 million) turning the cottage into a royal residence, as it was previously staff quarters.
The Sun reports that Harry paid back the English taxpayers on the costs of the renovations.
Could we be in for a royal version of the iconic home renovating series, ‘Changing Rooms’? Maybe Harry and Meghan will be offered the Lodge? It all remains up in the air.
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