Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been given the notice to vacate their home at Frogmore Cottage in the UK, which they had received as a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth II. The couple has until early summer to move out, according to Omid Scobie, author of “Finding Freedom.”
The property, located in Windsor, has been deemed necessary for “someone else” — Prince Andrew — who has been offered the residence by King Charles III. According to Scobie, the eviction notice was a result of the king’s anger towards Harry’s memoir “Spare,” which was published in January. The memoir was a tell-all about Harry’s emotional turmoil and bitter family resentments.
The Sussexes have reportedly been “stunned” by the news and are now searching for a new place to live. “Initially, they were given just weeks, but now they have at least until after the coronation,” a source told Scobie in his report for Yahoo! News.
However, no alternative accommodation has been offered to the couple since the eviction notice was served. Frogmore Cottage was the only sufficiently secure refuge in the country for the family, and it was covered by the Royalty and Specialist Protection Unit. The property is located just five minutes away from Windsor Castle, making it convenient for the royal family when they visited the area.
The couple lost access to police protection in the UK after they stepped down as senior royals in 2020. The pair travels with their private security team, but royal protection officers provide another level of security that’s necessary for the royal family, including access to “essential intelligence information.”
Scobie wrote that the decision to evict the Sussexes was “very final and like a cruel punishment.” It was like “the family wants to cut them out of the picture for good.” Harry and Meghan have previously spoken out against the monarchy since they stepped down. In a Netflix docuseries released in December, Harry spoke about how his relationship with his father and older brother, Prince William, broke down. Markle described wanting to end her life as she struggled to cope with toxic UK press coverage.
The Sussexes’ annual allowance of nearly $3.2 million was spent renovating the house, which involved structural work, rewiring, and new flooring. The couple agreed to pay back the money as part of their royal exit, and Harry repaid the British taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the home in September 2020. At the time, it was announced that Frogmore Cottage would still be the home of the Sussexes when they visited the UK.
The loss of what was once considered a “forever home” for the Sussexes is a significant blow for the couple. Harry previously launched a legal challenge to the UK government’s refusal to let him personally pay for police protection when he visits Britain. Harry’s lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, said the prince “does not feel safe when he is in the UK given the security arrangements applied to him.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex currently reside in Montecito, California, with their two young children. It is unclear whether the couple will travel to the UK from their California home in May for King Charles’s coronation.
Source: FoxNews
