FHHRN
Prince Andrew has reportedly set his sights on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s former UK home — Frogmore Cottage — should he be forced to vacate Royal Lodge.
According to The Sun, the King’s 65-year-old brother has made a formal request to move into the Windsor estate property as discussions with Buckingham Palace officials over his living arrangements continue.
It was initially hoped that Prince Andrew would downsize and move into the nearby Frogmore Cottage last year, after King Charles cut off his financial support. But the former Duke of York reportedly refused to leave his sprawling 30-room Royal Lodge mansion, digging in his heels despite mounting royal pressure.
Now, however, that pressure appears to be intensifying. Following his decision to relinquish all remaining royal titles and honours — amid continued scrutiny over his links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and alleged connections to a Chinese spy — Palace officials are said to be urging Andrew to finally vacate the Windsor estate.
The King has long been keen to see his younger brother move out of the lavish property, which he still shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Yet Andrew’s position is protected by a watertight 75-year lease he signed back in 2003.
Under the terms of that lease, he paid £1 million upfront and is required to pay just “one peppercorn” in rent per year — but only if it’s ever demanded. According to a report by the National Audit Office, the Prince also invested a further £7.5 million in refurbishments, completed in 2005. The agreement even includes a clause stating that if he were to surrender the lease, the Crown Estate would be obliged to pay him around £558,000 in compensation.
Frogmore Cottage
In July 2023, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had officially vacated Frogmore Cottage — three years after stepping back from their royal duties.
The Grade II–listed residence, located on the Windsor estate, was once divided into a series of staff flats before undergoing an extensive £2.4 million renovation ahead of the couple’s move-in in 2019.
Following their decision to relocate to the United States, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex repaid the full cost of the taxpayer-funded refurbishment, which transformed the property into a modern five-bedroom family home.
Before their wedding, Meghan Markle moved into Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace to live with Prince Harry.
Following their marriage, the late Queen Elizabeth II gifted the couple Frogmore Cottage — a gesture that symbolised their new life together. The Duke and Duchess soon relocated to Windsor, settling into their newly renovated home shortly before the birth of their son, Archie, in May 2019.
However, their stay at Frogmore was brief. The Sussexes lived there full-time for only about six months before taking an extended break from royal duties in Canada and later announcing their decision to start a new life in North America.
Prince Harry offered a rare glimpse into his time at Frogmore Cottage in his memoir Spare, published in January 2023.
Reflecting fondly on the home, he wrote: “We loved that place. 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.”
Harry’s words painted Frogmore as a deeply personal retreat for the Sussexes — a brief chapter of peace and normality before their dramatic break from royal life.
