Buckingham Palace has confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have finally left Frogmore Cottage.
Just a few weeks after the duke disparaged his family in his contentious memoir Spare, Harry and Meghan were instructed to remove any remaining goods from their UK property next to Windsor Castle.
The couple’s last remaining residence in the UK before moving to California was the cottage, a Crown Estate property that they renovated. Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, spoke at the annual Sovereign Grant account briefing on royal finances.
d: “We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage.
“We will not be going into any detail on those arrangements here.
“Safe to say that, as has previously been stated, 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.”
Harry last visited the UK earlier this month when he testified in court over his claimed hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN). Previously, he had only been in the country for a limited time in May to attend his father the King’s coronation.
In 2020, Harry and Meghan relocated to the US after leaving the working monarchy. Level II mentioned The late Queen Elizabeth, Harry’s grandmother, gave the couple Frogmore as a gift.
The Home Park Estate’s Frogmore Cottage, which Meghan and Harry have only sometimes used since migrating to the US, was renovated and rented for £2.4 million in 2019, according to royal records.
Regarding who would eventually occupy the cottage, a representative of the palace stated that there was nothing more to say.
The official responded, “I have nothing further to add.” Any potential occupancy will be evaluated and disclosed in the report for the following year.
When asked if the Duke of York, the King’s disgraced brother, would be leaving his Royal Lodge residence in Windsor Great Park, the Palace declined to comment. According to rumors, Andrew had been given the option of Frogmore Cottage.
We won’t go into specifics about the duke’s private lease agreements here today, Sir Michael remarked.