Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Frogmore Cottage Eviction "Feels Like a Cruel Punishment," Friend Says
King Charles made the decision after "Spare" was published.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been notified that they have just a few months to move out of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor entirely.
King Charles has reportedly "evicted" the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from their U.K. base, and offered it to Prince Andrew instead, following the release of Prince Harry's shock memoir Spare. Revelations made in the book apparently left Charles "spitting mad."
But for friends of the Sussexes and even for certain members of the Royal Family, this decision isn't just a hurtful move towards the U.S.-based couple, but also represents a further threat to their security when they travel to England, as reported by royal expert Omid Scobie in his latest Yahoo! column.
By virtue of its location on Windsor Castle grounds, Frogmore Cottage is covered by the Metropolitan Police's Royalty and Specialist Protection Unit, which adds an extra layer to the private security team the Sussexes bring with them on visits to the U.K.
Now, if they want to return to Harry's home country (notably for the coronation), they will need to find a way to bridge that security gap, despite the significant threats to their security they have consistently received over the past few years.
"If you'd seen the stuff that was written and you were receiving it, the kind of rhetoric that's online, if you don't know what I know, you would feel under threat all of the time," Neil Basu, the former head of counter-terrorism policing in England, said in November. "We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats."
By contrast, the disgraced Prince Andrew, who is now being offered Frogmore Cottage as a downgrade from his current home, has his own private security covered by the King himself, according to Scobie's sources.
Aside from the security threat, friends of the Sussexes find this decision by King Charles to be an unfair one, especially considering the couple paid the Crown Estate an amount of money that should have covered rent "for the foreseeable future."
"It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment," a friend of the Sussexes' told Scobie. "It’s like [the family] want to cut them out of the picture for good."
Apparently, at least two members of the Royal Family are equally "appalled" by the decision.
On top of all that, the house will be a difficult one for the Sussexes to leave, on an emotional level as well as a practical one.
"Harry and Meghan have until early summer to vacate," one source said. "Initially they were given just weeks, but now they have at least until after the coronation."
Another source said, "This is not just some random rental they keep for convenience. Every drawer is full, every closet is packed… It’s a real family home."
The Sussexes lived full-time in Frogmore for a few months while they were still working royals, and have retained the home as a base for their U.K. visits. Their permanent residence is currently in Montecito, California, where they live with their children Archie and Lili.
