How royal feud turned Prince Harry’s ‘forever home’ into a ‘brief stop’

Before the royal feud turned Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s life upside down, the Sussex couple lived in Frogmore Cottage, gifted by Queen Elizabeth II, after their wedding in 2018. However, not long after they settled into their new home, the Duke and Duchess had to renounce their claims to the property and move to Canada before they finally found their home in California.
Prince Harry opened up about his heartbrokenness about having to part ways with the regal setting, his former royal residence at Windsor Castle.
According to the Mirror, the Sussexes even invested taxpayers’ money, which they later repaid, to fund lavish renovations. However, they soon bid the five-bedroom home farewell upon their departure from the royal hierarchy in 2019. They ultimately vacated the place in 2020. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries even lends the worldwide audience a glimpse into the cottage, which they made their own during the initial chapters of their relationship.
A flurry of reports swirling around insinuate that the Duke of Sussex is “determined to find a permanent UK home.” Royal author Tom Quinn stressed the lonely vision that Harry might be missing his old friends and lifestyle.
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Quinn told the Mirror that Prince Harry “misses his Old Etonian and army friends, many of whom have not visited as they don’t get on with Meghan. Harry is determined to find his own permanent home in the UK, which is partly why he’s continuing his legal action to get the British taxpayer to pay for his security.”
He also implied that the “honeymoon period where everything in the States is new and exciting is coming to and end.”
All while these headlines are taking over the web, an old excerpt from Prince Harry’s memoir, ‘Spare,’ has also resurfaced. Therein too, the Duke had shared his heartening account about how the deepening royal rift pushed him out of the grand estate.
Harry’s words reflect upon a meeting with King Charles and Prince William that followed after his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral. Notably, even as he awaited their arrival at his then-residence, the Prince was left heartbroken, considering that the place he once called his home was no longer his. He wrote in ‘Spare,’ “Once upon a time, this was going to be my forever home. Instead it had proved to be just another brief stop.”
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Later in the book, the Duke also alleged that he and his wife were “evicted” from their royal abode once they decided to relinquish their titles.
Eventually, other reports followed, suggesting that King Charles had asked the couple to leave Frogmore Cottage. The Standard’s March 2023 report revealed that the Duke and Duchess had lost their “privilege” and access to Frogmore Cottage. An insider told the outlet, “The Sussex’s are no longer leasing Frogmore Cottage. That privilege has been removed. It’s over for them in the UK. If they want a residence in the UK they will have to buy one privately.”
A source also highlighted the possibility that King Charles was allegedly using this opportunity to relocate his brother Prince Andrew. He had previously been asked to vacate his Royal Lodge mansion due to his friendly associations with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The insider claimed the King had asked the Sussexes to leave their station to “allow someone else to move in.”
However, that never happened (at least until now). Harry’s cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, took over the place in November 2020. Later, they shifted to another residence, leaving the empty, vacant property behind.
Despite all the commotion and heated exchanges that transpired, Meghan and Harry ultimately passed on the keys to their former cottage in June 2023.