Talks between Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the property began in early January, coinciding with the publication of the monarch's son's memoirs, according to the British press.
The King of England has asked the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to vacate Frogmore Cottage to allow Prince Andrew to occupy the house, according to The Sun exclusively and confirmed by other British media, such as The Telegraph.
Conversations between Buckingham Palace and Harry and Meghan, who currently live in Montecito, California (USA), have been underway since the Duke of Sussex published his controversial memoirs in January, titled In the Shadow, which were not liked of the royal house, but have intensified recently.
The cause of this acceleration, according to The Telegraph, is Prince Andrew, Duke of York and brother of Charles III. Since the end of 2019, when the disastrous BBC interview took place in which he tried to distance himself, without success, from the shady activities of his friend, the American millionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, he was removed from any public activity representing the British monarchy. and, later, at the beginning of 2022, all the military titles and royal patronages he held were withdrawn.
This year, starting in April, the Duke of York will also stop receiving his annual allowance of 249,000 pounds (282,370 euros at the current exchange rate), which makes him unable to maintain his current residence in Windsor. Hence, Carlos wants to move his brother to that newly renovated house. A decision, therefore, that has not sat well with Enrique and Meghan, according to sources close to the couple consulted by the British press, who affirm that they have experienced this decision as "a very cruel final punishment." The couple would have until early summer to remove their belongings from the site.
Prince Andrew is considered the big problem inherited by Charles III. Favorite son of the late Elizabeth II, the Duke of York refuses to leave the public scene, maintains his innocence and threatens to revive his legal battle against Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accuses him of having abused her when she was a minor. Charles III has effectively erased him from the official photo.
At the end of last year he achieved urgent approval, in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, of the State Councilors Act, which incorporated his brothers Princess Anne and Prince Edward to the list of members of the royal family who could replace him in his public duties in case of illness or travel abroad. In this way, the possibility that Andrew, or Henry, would end up replacing Charles III occasionally was eliminated. Although, as The Telegraph now reports, the king does not want to leave his brother “homeless and penniless”, suggesting that alternative arrangements are being made for his rehousing.
Frogmore Cottage is the house where Henry of England and Meghan Markle decided to make their life as members of the British royal family, a more discreet and smaller refuge than Kensington Palace. It is a beautiful house on the grounds of Windsor that they renovated to their liking. With 10 bedrooms, a study, a conservatory, special glazing to protect it from the noise of the nearby Heathrow airport and a tennis court, Frogmore, an hour from London, was chosen by the Duke and Duchess as their main residence to the astonishment of many.
As The Sunday Times explained, they decided to go there because Markle was convinced that a conspiracy was being hatched against her in the London palaces. It is, according to The Telegraph, “the only safe place” left for the dukes in England, who are immersed in a legal battle to obtain police protection in England.
The news of the eviction of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex comes at a time when their popularity is at rock bottom, and just 66 days before the coronation of Charles III takes place, a tradition with 900 years of history that will take place on the 6th of May in Westminster Abbey and which represents the climax and is loaded with symbolism. The move appears to raise even more doubts about whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will receive an invitation to the ceremony.
