Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Frogmore Cottage Eviction Was Part of Queen Elizabeth's 'Plan'

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage in 2023, but their eviction notice might have been Queen Elizabeth's idea.

"Had she lived another year, he would have been out," a palace source told Robert Hardman in Charles III: New King New Court. "It was her plan to move him out, to end the lease for the Sussexes at Frogmore Cottage and to move Andrew in there."

"It was mainly a money thing, as she could see it was becoming unsustainable," they added.

OK! previously reported the Duke of York still resides in the Royal Lodge, but he is hopeful Princess Eugenie will take over Harry's old mansion.

"Andrew won't move into Frogmore but is still trying to wangle it for his family," a source told an outlet. "Eugenie has stayed there on and off since Harry and Meghan left for America. She helped pack up their things."

"She's [Eugenie] stayed there a number of times since the Sussexes departed and Andrew is trying to secure the property as a full-time home for his daughter," the insider revealed. "Eugenie and Jack's hearts lie in the U.K. and they need a bigger home for their family."

Eugenie and Jack split their time between the U.K. and Portugal, and they temporarily lived in Frogmore Cottage after welcoming their first son, August.

"They adore Frogmore Cottage and have stayed there often so making it into a full-time home makes sense," the insider noted. "Andrew knows Beatrice is settled so wants to make sure Eugenie finds a property that she can call a family home."

"Although he won't move out of Royal Lodge and into the cottage himself, he would still like to hold onto the property for his daughter," they shared.

Although the Sussexes' are based in California and purchased a vacation home in Portugal, a source claimed the Duke of Sussex wants to find a property in his home country.

"He misses his Old Etonian and army friends, many of whom have not visited as they don’t get on with Meghan," a source told an outlet. "Harry is determined to find his own permanent home in the U.K., which is partly why he’s continuing his legal action to get the British taxpayer to pay for his security."

When the Sussexes first moved to North America, they hoped to spend time with their children in the U.K., but without their royal estate and police personnel, the duo is unlikely to bring Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to the region.

"Harry and Meghan imagined Frogmore would always be there for them even if they came back to the U.K. for just a few weeks each year and even if they were no longer working royals," biographer Tom Quinn told an outlet.

"That assumption speaks volumes about just how out of touch with each other King Charles and his son had become," he added.

According to Quinn, Charles asking his youngest son to vacate Frogmore Cottage drove a wedge between them.

"At the time, few people realized what a slap in the face the eviction from Frogmore felt like for Harry – it was the last straw," the writer explained. "Harry was absolutely furious and in tears about being evicted from Frogmore – he felt his father had no right to do it and that it was purely vindictive."

"Harry couldn't see that choosing to stop being a working royal would inevitably mean being deprived of his royal residence," he shared. "Harry took it as a cruel rejection – a painful reminder of all that he felt when his father fought with his mother during their long drawn-out, painful divorce."