Inside Harry and Meghan’s Frogmore Cottage scandal – From £2.4m facelift to sharp eviction

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were gifted Frogmore Cottage by the late Queen Elizabeth II shortly after they got married, but they couldn’t keep the property

Meghan, Harry and Frogmore Cottage
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry used to live in Frogmore Cottage (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images/ Getty Images)
Prince Harry has officially changed his formal residential status to the US, using the date of his Frogmore Cottage eviction as the start date of the bombshell change.

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were given Frogmore Cottage as a wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II. However, King Charles asked the Sussexes to vacate the property last March.

Meghan and Harry moved into Frogmore Cottage in 2019 and stayed there until announcing their decision to step down from the Royal Family. Their time at the property was surrounded by controversy as they spent £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money on renovations. Here, we’ve taken a look back at the financial details and full controversies surrounding Frogmore Cottage.

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READ MORE: Prince Harry ‘deeply wounded’ as he makes emotional date change on paperwork ‘accepting new life’

Frogmore Cottage
Frogmore Cottage was gifted to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry (Image: REX/Shutterstock)
£2.4 million renovations
Meghan and Harry spent £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money on renovations to their new home, according to official royal accounts. Work included the removal of a chimney, re-finishing the roof and adding new staircases.

The couple also had new fireplaces installed and a new “floating” wooden floor. The “floating” floor was created in the main kitchen area in order to protect the old flooring underneath.

The Sovereign Grant, which pays for salaries of staff, upkeep of palaces and official royal duties, paid for the renovations. The Sussexes paid privately for all fittings, fixtures and furnishings.

After using the £2.4 million for the renovations, Harry and Meghan paid back the costs in September 2020. Harry’s spokesman confirmed he had paid the bill in full by making a contribution to the grant.

Eviction

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex
The couple were evicted from the property (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Back in March 2023, it was revealed King Charles had asked Meghan and Harry to vacate Frogmore Cottage. A source told The Standard at the time: “The Sussexes are no longer leasing Frogmore Cottage.

“That privilege has been removed. It’s over for them in the UK. If they want a residence in the UK they will have to buy one privately.”

It wasn’t until June 2023 that Meghan and Harry finally handed back the keys to Frogmore Cottage. The couple’s remaining possessions were shipped to California, with courtier Sir Michael Stevens saying at the time: “We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage.

“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.”

Prince Andrew offer

Prince Andrew
Prince Andrew was believed to be in the running for the property (Image: BBC)
When the King issued Harry and Meghan with an eviction notice, it was reported he was drawing up a “range of options” to satisfy his disgraced brother Prince Andrew after insisting he must leave his Royal Lodge mansion.

One option presented to Andrew was Frogmore Cottage. A source said Charles told Harry and Meghan he wanted them out to “allow someone else to move in” and it looks like he could have had Andrew in mind.

Prince Harry’s residential status

Prince Harry
The Duke of Sussex has made some big changes
Harry has now switched his formal residential status from the UK to the US in paperwork filed in Britain. The documents relate to his sustainable travel initiative, Travalyst.

When the project was set up four years ago, Harry’s place of residence was originally listed on Companies House as being in the UK. However, a new filing states his “new country/state usually resident” is the United States. The date of the change was backdated to June 29, 2023, one of the last days he and Meghan had access to their old UK home of Frogmore Cottage.

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