Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Wanted a "Suite of Apartments" in Windsor Castle, But Got Frogmore Instead, Royal Author Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didn't quite get the palatial home they had their eye on while they were working royals, writes Katie Nicholl in her book The New Royals (opens in new tab).

Apparently, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were hoping for a "suite of apartments at Windsor Castle," but the late Queen had other ideas, and offered them Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Great Park instead—a home which they retain to this day, and which they have let Princess Eugenie and her family live in for a long time.

"The cottage was a big deal," the Queen's cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson told Nicholl (via the Daily Mail). "The Queen's entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. It is essentially her back yard, her solitude, and her privacy. She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said, 'I hope they'll respect it.'"

The Sussexes lived at Frogmore from April 2019 until their departure from the U.K. and from their roles as senior royals in March 2020.

After a short stint in Canada, the royal couple established themselves in Montecito, Southern California, where they still live now with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, and their three dogs, two beagles named Guy and Mamma Mia, and a labrador named Pula.

When they return to the U.K. for short visits (which are admittedly few and far between), the Sussexes still stay in Frogmore Cottage.

Speaking to The Cut recently, Markle spoke about returning to Frogmore and finding all her old possessions in drawers, including a journal which has some people worried she might use it to reveal royal secrets in the future.