King Charles Deals Harry And Meghan Eviction Notice From Windsor Digs
Once upon a time, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lived at Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had made the humble abode their own, settling in together about a year after their 2018 wedding. The 10-bedroom historic home underwent extensive renovations before Harry and Meghan moved in. When the two decided it was best for them to leave the UK in search of a better life, the cottage remained their UK residence.
After Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the royal family and moved across the pond, the Duke of Sussex told his first cousin that she could move into the home. After welcoming her first child, Princess Eugenie moved into Frogmore Cottage along with her husband, Jack Brooksbank, and their son August, according to Hello! Their stay at the estate was temporary, however, as the family moved into Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace sometime in 2022, Express reports. Flash forward nearly a year and it appears as though Frogmore is about to get another new resident — and, this time, it may be against Harry's will.
Frogmore Cottage is set to become Prince Andrew's new home
In the wake of his tell-all memoir "Spare," it seems that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will no longer have a place of their own in the UK unless they choose to purchase their own property. According to The U.S. Sun, King Charles is "evicting" his youngest son from Frogmore Cottage and has offered the residence to his brother, Prince Andrew. While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have already created a new life for themselves in California, and they may not be inclined to spend time in the UK in the future, given this new development. "This surely spells the end of Harry and Meghan's time in the UK," a source told The U.S. Sun.
Meanwhile, sources spoke with royal reporter Omid Scobie who is a friend of Harry and Meghan's. These sources told him that the Duke and Duchess were given until after King Charles' coronation to get their belongings out of the home. "It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment. It's like [the family] want to cut them out of the picture for good," a friend of the couple told Scobie for a piece he published for Yahoo! News. The move comes less than two months after Harry released his memoir "Spare." As for King Charles' May 6 coronation, there's still been no word on whether Harry and Meghan will attend.
One royal expert isn't surprised by King Charles' actions
It seems as though King Charles is really taking a stand against Prince Harry after the release of his memoir and his continued decisions to speak out about his experience growing up in the royal family. Of course, the royals are known to be notoriously private people, so these actions from the Duke of Sussex are shocking to some — and perhaps even maddening to others. When it comes to Charles telling his son that he must rid Frogmore Cottage of his remaining belongings, well, the move isn't all that surprising. "Harry and Meghan provoked him with Harry's disgraceful book and the interviews he gave," royal expert Tom Bower told Page Six. "I mean what did he expect? Harry wanted the royal family to come on bended knee begging for forgiveness and he's completely crossed the spectrum, he's in the mad wilderness of deranged victimhood," he added.
And while Harry hasn't spoken out publicly about his eviction notice, a spokesperson from Archewell did confirm the reports in a statement given to People. "We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage," the statement read, adding nothing more.
Prince Harry believes things would be different if Princess Diana was still alive
Prince Harry's relationship with his brother, Prince William, and their father, King Charles, has been strained for a few years now, and with Charles' latest request involving Frogmore Cottage, it doesn't seem as though things are going to turn around anytime soon. While royal watchers await the next interaction between Harry and the royal family — which may or may not take place during Charles' coronation in May — Harry believes that the family wouldn't be in the situation they are in today if his mom was still alive.
"If your mother were still alive, do you ever think about how she might handle this moment?" Stephen Colbert asked Harry when the Duke of Sussex made a surprise visit on "The Late Show." It didn't take Harry long to respond. "We wouldn't have got to this moment. It's impossible to say where we would be now — where those relationships would be now — but there is no way that the distance between my brother and I would be the same," he said. Will the memory of Princess Diana and that common bond drive Harry and William back to one another? It's possible. But based on how the royal family is going about business lately, it's seeming more and more unlikely.