King Charles III reportedly ejected Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, from the royal residence they left over five years ago, according to new claims.
As a wedding gift in 2018, Queen Elizabeth II gave the newlyweds Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of the Windsor royal estate. After a few months, Harry and Meghan traveled for North America, where they were promised better lighting and a larger income.
The eviction rumor comes after the publishing of “Spare,” Harry’s zinger-filled memoir, and as uncertainty swirls over whether Harry and Meghan will be invited to the coronation of Harry’s father, the monarch, on May 6.
“This eviction surely spells the end of Harry and Meghan’s time in the U.K.,” a royal insider said, according to the British tabloid the Sun.
“But it shows Harry and Meghan are powerless to stop the eviction,” the source said.
According to the story, the pair is currently identifying the belongings they wish to transfer to California.
According to Sky News Australia, the king wants Prince Andrew to leave his present residence at Royal Lodge, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and move into the cottage to save royal spending.
Charles, Andrew’s brother, canceled Andrew’s annual stipend of £250,000 owing to the settlement of sexual assault charges made by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed she was molested by Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. As a result, Andrew can no longer afford to maintain Royal Lodge.
The Sun reports that Andrew is “resisting” the relocation.
The biographer of Prince Harry and Meghan, Omid Scobie, penned a Yahoo U.K. op-ed in which he criticized the idea.
He wrote that the action was a “crushing blow” for Harry, adding that it was “a clear sign of just how sour relations between the king and his son have become.”
“Given the timing of the news, it’s hard not to view it as a response to his son’s literary tell-all, which is said to have left the monarch ‘spitting mad,’” Scobie wrote.
“At a time when communication between Harry and his family has reached an all-time low, further details provided to the couple by the institution have been scant. The property, they were told, is needed for someone else. It’s news, sources tell me, that has left Harry and Meghan stunned, and at least two members of the royal family ‘appalled,’” he wrote.
“It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment. It’s like [the family] want to cut them out of the picture for good,” Scobie cited an unnamed friend of Meghan and Harry.
Scobie wrote that he was told by a royal source that the king “is just fed up with the entire situation.”
Scobie stated that the pair was initially given only weeks to take away their belongings, but that deadline was extended out to the summer, allowing them to attend the coronation if they are invited.
Scobie depicted the action as a huge setback to the couple’s security, stating that their eviction eliminated the only location they could reside in England that could have provided enough protection.