Palace shares update on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's former UK home
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's former UK home, Frogmore Cottage, remains empty more than a year after Prince Harry and Meghan officially vacated the property.
Palace officials at the annual Sovereign Grant briefing said there were no new tenants in the Grade II Crown Estate property in Windsor Home Park.
The Sussexes formally moved out of the four-bedroom abode on 29 June 2023, having repaid the £2.4m to cover the cottage's refurbishment and rental. Harry and Meghan spoke about packing up the house in their Netflix docuseries…
A Palace official said at the briefing: "During the year, Frogmore Cottage has remained empty. I don't think, at this point, I would speculate on who will be the future occupants of the cottage."
He added: "The Sovereign Grant has been fully reimbursed for the refurbishment costs of Frogmore cottage when it was initially provided to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and, therefore, there is no cost to the Sovereign Grant other than some routine maintenance, but it would be required for any of the buildings."
It was previously reported the disgraced Duke of York was offered the much smaller Frogmore Cottage in a bid to relocate him from the larger Royal Lodge.
But Prince Andrew was said to have signed a 75-year lease on the Royal Lodge mansion in 2003.
Harry and Meghan moved to the US with their son Prince Archie after stepping back from royal duties in 2020.
After temporarily residing at Hollywood producer Tyler Perry's Beverly Hills mansion, the couple bought a $15 million home in Montecito. The couple welcomed daughter Princess Lilibet in 2021.
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When the Duke visited the UK back in May to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games, he reportedly stayed at a hotel after declining his father King Charles' offer to stay in a royal residence.
Relations between Harry and the royal family have become strained in recent years, following explosive claims about Charles, his stepmother Queen Camilla, and the Prince and Princess of Wales in the Sussexes' Oprah Winfrey interview, their Netflix docuseries and Harry's memoir, Spare.
The Duke last met with his father in-person in February following the King's cancer diagnosis.
Prince Harry's thoughts on Frogmore Cottage
In his memoir, Spare, Harry spoke about what it was like moving into the Windsor property, which was gifted to the Sussexes from the late Queen.
"We loved that place," Harry wrote. "From the first minute. It felt as if we were destined to live there. We couldn't wait to wake up in the morning, go for a long walk in the gardens, check in with the swans. Especially grumpy Steve.
"We met the Queen's gardeners, got to know their names and the names of all the flowers. They thrilled at how much we appreciated, and praised, their artistry."
