(London) Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have vacated their home in Frogmore, on the Windsor Estate, which they used when they came to the UK, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Thursday.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were asked last March to pack their boxes, after the publication of Substitutethe biography of Prince Harry released in January and very critical of the royal family.
“Frogmore cottage”, a house of over 400 square meters belongs to the British Crown and was offered to the couple by Queen Elizabeth II for their wedding in 2019.
Harry and Meghan have lived in California since stepping down from royal duties in 2020. According to the British press, an arrangement allowed them to rent Frogmore cottage year-round. But they came there extremely rarely since their installation in the United States.
They had originally spent some £2.4million ($3.2million) to renovate it, expenses since repaid by Prince Harry to the Crown.
“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore cottage,” royal finance official Michael Stevens said on the occasion of the monarchy’s annual spending release. He confirmed that the costs of the renovation borne by the “Sovereign Grant” (annual budget allocated to the monarchy) had been reimbursed by the Sussexes.
The palace declined to say who might move into the house. According to the British press, King Charles III wants his brother Andrew, completely sidelined since accusations of sexual assault, to leave Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate, a property which has around 30 rooms, to settle at Frogmore Cottage, which has five bedrooms since renovation.
Prince Harry came to the UK in early June to give evidence in a lawsuit against tabloids. He also spent a few hours in London for his father’s coronation in May.