King Charles is evicting his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan Markle from the Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, they confirmed to Page Six after it was first reported by The New York Post. Following their exit, the monarch will reportedly be offering the home to his brother, the disgraced Prince Andrew, 63.
“We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” their rep told Page Six. The New York Times‘ source explained that the process for Harry and Meghan to be evicted began back in January, the day after Harry’s memoir Spare was released. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly have their belongings shipped to their new home in the United States, and they haven’t been offered a new residence at the royal Windsor Estate. Queen Elizabeth gave her grandson and his wife the cottage as a wedding present in 2018.
Charles offering Frogmore to his brother comes a little more than a month after Andrew was evicted from Buckingham Palace at the end of January, amid his scandal for his association with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew was accused of sexual assault by Virginia Giuffre, but the civil trial was settled out of court. Terms of the settlement haven’t been made public, and Andrew has denied the allegations, but he was stripped of his royal title amid the scandal. While Andrew was kicked out of Buckingham Palace, Charles reportedly would continue to pay for his security.
Amid the eviction, it’s not clear if Harry and Meghan will be invited to Charles’ official coronation ceremony in May. There’s been much drama within the royal family since Harry’s bombshell memoir Spare hit bookshelves in January. In interviews surrounding the book, Harry also gave a number of interviews, where he revealed that he isn’t currently on speaking terms with his dad or his brother Prince William. “I look forward to us being able to find peace,” the Duke of Sussex told 60 Minutes. “We haven’t spoken for quite a while.”
Ahead of the coronation, an insider revealed to The Times that the royal family wants Harry and William to have a sit down to settle their differences. “Both sides need to hold their hands up and admit ‘we didn’t get everything right, and we got a lot wrong.’ It’s going to take flexibility on all sides, but it can be done,” the insider said.