Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were recently dealt a major blow by the royal family, after it was revealed that the palace intends to remove every “trace” of them from Frogmore Cottage.
The Montecito-based royal couple had made some personal changes to the home, which was gifted to them by Queen Elizabeth II after their marriage; however, reports claim plans are underway to revert the residence back to how it was before the Sussexes moved in.
Insiders claim Prince Harry and Meghan were taken aback by the new development, especially as it shows that their rift with the royal family is far from being fixed ahead of the duke’s UK return.
Prior to Harry and Meghan’s family life in their $29 million Montecito mansion, the royal couple lived in Frogmore Cottage.
While they initially retained the property after their highly-publicized exit from their roles as working royals in 2020, the home was officially taken from them three years later.
King Charles ultimately requested they vacate the residence permanently, especially as Harry and Meghan rarely made use of the location due to their increasingly sparse UK visits.
The place was then offered to the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after he was evicted from his luxurious Royal Lodge, but the former Duke of York rejected it.
Now, the home is facing major renovation plans that could completely rid it of Harry and Meghan’s influences, in hopes that it would become more appealing for other members of the royal family to stay in.
“It’s been empty for three years. Even Andrew [Mountbatten-Windsor] thought it wasn’t good enough for him to move in,” a source told Closer Online. “Maybe if they get rid of any trace of Harry and Meghan, then someone within the royal household will fancy it.”
The Sussexes Are Upset Over The Latest Development With Frogmore Cottage, Insiders Claim
While the palace’s reasons for wanting to refurbish Frogmore Cottage are not clear, insiders claim it has left Harry and Meghan feeling humiliated and saddened, with the duke in particular seeing it as a “personal” affront during a period where he’s making attempts to reconcile with the royal family.
“This is a huge slap in the face for Harry,” a source told the publication. “Here he is, throwing all his energy into creating a path where he will feel safe bringing his wife and children home to England, and right when he’s sure he’s making progress with his father and getting something worked out for the summer, it comes out that all the wonderful updates they made [to Frogmore] are being ripped apart.”
“How are they not supposed to take that personally?” the source continued, “He accepts that it doesn’t belong to them, but at the same time, he does feel some sense of ownership and attachment to it.”
“The Queen gave it to him, and he and Meghan poured their heart and soul into making it a beautiful home, so of course it’s upsetting,” they added.
Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Spent A Hefty Sum Refurbishing Frogmore Cottage
Harry and Meghan made major renovations to Frogmore Cottage after moving into the house as a newly married couple.
The five-bedroom property was built in 1801 for Queen Charlotte and is a grade II listed building, which in the UK, means it is of special historic interest.
Right after their wedding, Harry and Meghan reportedly wasted no time making Frogmore Cottage into a home that fit the duchess’s taste, converting it from five residential units to a massive family home. The couple also overhauled the property by installing a yoga studio, a bespoke £5,000 [$6,705] copper bathtub, and custom interiors.
The Sussexes ultimately spent around £2.4 million [$3.2 million] to give Frogmore Cottage a makeover, a sum which they paid back due to criticisms about the renovations being taxpayer-funded.
Prince Harry Reportedly Feels The Decision To Undo His And Meghan’s Work On Frogmore Cottage ‘Makes No Sense’
Insiders claim Harry has been left stunned by the news of the royal family’s move to undo the work he and Meghan had done on Frogmore Cottage, a move he allegedly believes “makes no sense” due to how much it cost them.
It is also being seen as a sign that the monarchy is truly over and done with the Sussexes and doesn’t want them back in the royal fold, despite Harry’s very public calls for reconciliation.
“He and Meghan both believe it’s being done out of sheer pettiness because financially it makes no sense,” an insider told Closer. “They spent a lot of money and made the place more modern and liveable; Harry says the only reason he can see to tear it apart is to spite them.”
The source further noted that Harry “fully believes there are people in his family that orchestrated this to purposely hurt him, whether they will admit that or not.”
The Duke Reportedly Feels The Move Is A ‘Show Of Disrespect’ Toward Meghan Markle
To worsen things, Harry reportedly sees the royal family’s decision to renovate Frogmore Cottage as a “show of disrespect” to Meghan after she put in so much effort to redesign the place, which they once saw as their forever home.
This is said to have made a UK return less appealing for the Duchess of Sussex as the move doesn’t feel very “welcoming.”
“‘Even if it isn’t being done out of spite, which he struggles to believe, Harry is taking it as a very loud show if disrespect and so is Meghan,” a source said. “She spearheaded all the changes; it was really her design for the most part, so it would be impossible for her not to take this personally.”
They added, “It certainly doesn’t have her in the mood to head back for a visit. Harry can’t even say he blames her, as much as he still desperately hopes she will be by his side, he full concedes that this is not a welcoming gesture by any means.”
