Frogmore Cottage, the UK home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has been offered to Prince Andrew, according to reports. Harry and Meghan have been issued with an eviction notice by Buckingham Palace, the Sun newspaper reported.
Buckingham Palace has not commented and the BBC understands any discussions would be a private family matter. The duke and duchess – who are based in the US – have been approached by the BBC via their foundation, Archewell.
Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed 10-bedroom property in the grounds of Windsor Castle in Berkshire, was a gift to the royal couple from the late Queen.
They refurbished the property, owned by the Crown Estate, at an estimated cost of £2.4m in 2018-19. The cost was initially covered by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant before being repaid in full by Prince Harry.
The duke and duchess now live in California with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, after quitting life as working royals in 2020. They retained the cottage as their UK residence, and last year celebrated their daughter’s first birthday there.
The couple were reportedly told to leave the property by Buckingham Palace in January, days after Harry published his explosive memoir, Spare. The Duke of York, the late Queen’s second son, lives in the nearby 31-bedroom Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, Berkshire.
Andrew stepped down as a working royal in 2019 after a controversial Newsnight interview about allegations that he had sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre.
In February 2022, he paid an undisclosed sum to settle the civil sexual assault case Ms Giuffre brought against him in the US. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Reports in recent weeks, not confirmed by the BBC, suggested the King is to cut Andrew’s annual grant which could leave him unable to afford his home’s running costs. He is said to be resisting the offer of the smaller property, according to a source quoted by the Sun.
Source: BBC
In other news – Matt Hancock disputes claim he rejected care home Covid advice
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock has disputed claims he rejected expert advice on Covid tests for people going into care homes in England at the start of the pandemic.
WhatsApp messages leaked to the Daily Telegraph newspaper suggest Mr Hancock was told in April 2020. Learn more
