Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's former U.K. home of Frogmore Cottage has once again become the subject of public discussion, after a new book, Endgame, written by journalist Omid Scobie, has reportedly said that Queen Elizabeth II's daughter, Princess Anne, supported plans for King Charles III to take back the property, leaving his youngest son without a permanent home in Britain.
Harry and Meghan moved into the cottage situated in the grounds of Windsor Castle in 2019, having been offered it as an alternative to the London-based Nottingham Cottage when they were expecting their first child, Prince Archie.
The cottage became the subject of debate in 2020 when Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as working royals, as it was revealed that public funds had been spent in making the property habitable for them.
Harry and Meghan repaid the public money and stated their intention to keep the home as their U.K. base, being extra desirable as it was covered by the police protection of Windsor Great Park, Harry having lost his permanent bodyguards in the split from the monarchy.
Newsweek has contacted Buckingham Palace and Harry and Meghan's representatives via email for comment.
In March 2023, two months after Harry had published his bombshell memoir, Spare, and six months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was confirmed that the Sussexes had been asked to vacate their cottage.
The removal of their remaining possessions was confirmed in June, along with the news that the couple had made the final repayments of the state funds used in its refurbishment.
Here, Newsweek looks at everything Prince Harry has said publicly about Frogmore Cottage.
'Yes Please'
In his 2022 Netflix docuseries with Meghan, Harry spoke about being offered the use of Frogmore Cottage by his grandmother, revealing that it came at a time when the couple were facing intense media scrutiny.
Speaking to producers, he recounted that: "To suddenly have my grandmother go 'There's a house. Frogmore Cottage, its available, are you interested?' 'Yes please!'"
To this, Meghan revealed that Frogmore had been a place where the couple had passed a number of their milestones and therefore it made the perfect setting for their family home, in the shadow of Windsor Castle.
"It was a place where we had so many memories," she said. "From our courtship, our engagement, our wedding, our walks and then where we ended up having our baby."
'Dream Come True'
In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Prince Harry elaborated on the process of being offered the cottage by his grandmother. At the time, he and Meghan were living at Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace, a two-bedroom home which had the use of limited outdoor space.
"I told her we'd discussed our housing situation with the palace, and we'd been offered several properties, but each was too grand, we thought. Too lavish. And too expensive to renovate," he said of his conversation with the queen.
"Granny gave it a think and we chatted again days later. 'Frogmore,' she said. 'Frogmore, Granny?' 'Yes. Frogmore.'
"'Frogmore House?' I knew it well. That was where we'd taken our engagement photos. 'No, no—Frogmore Cottage. Near Frogmore House.'
"Sort of hidden, she said. Tucked away. Originally home to Queen Charlotte and her daughters, then to one of Queen Victoria's aides, and later it was chopped into smaller units. But it could be reassembled. Lovely place, Granny said. Plus, historic. Part of the Crown Estate. Very sweet. I told her that Meg and I loved the gardens at Frogmore, we went walking there often, and if it was near those, well, what could be better?"
Harry told readers that he and Meghan visited the house and that "granny was right. The house spoke to us both. Charming, full of potential."
"I rang Granny and said Frogmore Cottage would be a dream come true. I thanked her profusely. With her permission we began sitting down with builders, planning the minimum renovations, to make the place habitable—piping, heating, water."
In a later section he wrote that he and Meghan "loved that place" and that "from the first minute. It felt as if we were destined to live there."
Request to Vacate
When Harry and Meghan announced their intention to have a half-in, half-out working relationship with the monarchy in January 2020, the declared their intention to keep Frogmore Cottage as their official residence (though with the permission of Queen Elizabeth II).
In a statement issued through their website, the couple said: "Frogmore Cottage will continue to be the property of Her Majesty the Queen. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to use Frogmore Cottage—with the permission of Her Majesty The Queen—as their official residence as they continue to support the Monarchy, and so that their family will always have a place to call home in the United Kingdom."
Later in January, discussions were held with the Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles (now King Charles III) known as the Sandringham Summit, where Harry and Meghan's initial plan was rejected in favor of a complete working split from the monarchy.
The fate of Frogmore Cottage was unclear, though Harry and Meghan remained as its occupants, through to 2023, when news broke that they had been asked to vacate the property, which by virtue of the queen's death the new king had inherited control of.
In response to these reports, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan confirmed that: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage."
No reasoning for this move was given by their spokesperson or by Buckingham Palace.
In an annual briefing for the sovereign grant report in June 2023, a palace spokesperson said: "The Duke and Duchess have paid for the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset."
They added that "no decision has been made on the future occupant of Frogmore Cottage at this point." The property is believed to remain vacant.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
