Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have left King Charles with a 'greatly enhanced' Frogmore Cottage after officially handing back the keys to the property and paying for its $3million refurbishment.
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially vacated Frogmore Cottage, handing back the keys to the property after paying back the $3million grant used to refurbish it.
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received the Grade II listed home in Windsor as a wedding present from Queen Elizabeth II, but have not lived in it since their emigration to the US in 2020.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially handed back the keys of Frogmore Cottage after paying back the $3.2 million granted to renovate the royal property.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex received the Windsor home as a gift from Queen Elizabeth II when they married in 2018, but have been absent from the property ever since their high-profile move to North America in 2020.
It's now been confirmed that the pair have officially vacated the cottage, located near to Windsor Castle, after paying back the Sovereign Grant money used to renovate Frogmore, returning it to King Charles as a 'greatly enhanced asset'.
At the annual Sovereign Grant account briefing on royal finances on June 29, Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the Privy Purse, announced, "We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage."
Continuing, Sir Michael highlighted that the repayment of the tax payer money used to breathe life back into Frogmore means that the King has been given back the royal home in a great condition, at the expense of his son and daughter-in-law.
"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," he explained.
Prince Harry and Meghan reportedly had Frogmore converted into a single-family dwelling with four bedrooms and a nursery for their son, Prince Archie, who was born a few months after the renovations had finished.
Other repairs are said to have included the removal and replacement of Frogmore's damaged ceiling beams and floor joists, as well as the installation of new gas and water mains plus a luxury country kitchen and new staircases.
After announcing their decision to withdraw from the Royal Family and to pursue independent projects in the US back in 2020, Harry's spokesperson confirmed that the prince had paid back the £2.4 million ($3.2 million) of the grant money that had been used to upgrade the property.
Prince Harry continued to renew the lease on the cottage after his emigration to the US, to ensure he maintained a UK domicile (permanent residence) and so the Sussex family could use the cottage as a base during visits back to England.
Following the news that the couple have officially vacated the freshly revived home, a Buckingham Palace official has also stated that no information on who will live in the residence in the future will be made public for the time being, explaining, "Any future occupancy will be determined and communicated in next year’s report."
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