As we heard, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have apparently made an arrangement with Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank regarding Frogmore Cottage. Harry and Meghan had overseen the complete renovation of Frogmore from decrepit little cottage to family home, and this year, they “paid back” the renovation money which came from the Sovereign Grant. Frogmore Cottage was given to the Sussexes in 2018 by the Queen, and it sits on the Windsor Castle estate, meaning it’s part of a public property (unlike Sandringham, which is privately owned by the Queen). So, while Harry & Meghan don’t technically “own” Frogmore Cottage, they paid for that sh-t and they were basically given a lifetime lease on it. It’s “theirs” to do with as they wish. I suggested, months ago, that it felt perfect for Frogmore to sit there, abandoned and growing dust, for months and years on end. But Harry and Meghan came up with an arrangement for Eugenie and Jack to live there. And apparently… H&M did not go through the Queen or the palace in any way.
Prince Harry and Meghan struck their Frogmore Cottage giveaway deal behind the backs of senior royals, sources claimed yesterday. The couple have formed a new “Fab Four” with Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank, who can now start their new family at the empty property.
It came after direct talks between the two couples, who have been great pals since Meghan first started dating Harry four years ago. Pregnant Eugenie, 34, and Jack, 30, are expected to “house-sit” into the New Year, when they are expecting their first child.
Harry and Meghan, who live in California, insist Frogmore Cottage remains their UK home.
But our exclusive story on their handover to Eugenie has sparked claims they could stay away for good. An insider said: “Senior royals were initially blindsided by the idea for Harry and Meg to let Eugenie and Jack move in. Obviously the Queen was told after the couples had spoken about the plan. But it is very much a deal done between Harry, Meghan, Eugenie and Jack. There is a close bond between them.”
Palace insiders say they are the new “Fab Four”, a term previously used to describe the Sussexes and William and Kate.
Harry paved the way for the deal in September after announcing they had paid back the £2.4million taxpayer bill for renovations to the Windsor cottage. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “Frogmore Cottage is the private residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and as such any arrangements are a matter for them.”
Several things about this are just too funny. One, Harry and Meghan working out the arrangement with Eugenie and Jack quietly, without checking in with anyone else… that’s just perfect. Because if the palace had known, they would have had a sh-t fit AND they would have milked it for some petty soap opera storylines. I’m sure Kensington Palace would have liked to use it as a storyline too – “Future King William bans brother from coming home, orders Harry to arrange for housesitters!” Two, the palace desperados trying to claim that the Sussexes and Brooksbanks are the new Fab Four. LMAO. What’s that? The royal-press machinery is already bored as hell with Willileaks and Cathy? Three, it’s hilarious to me that the courtiers rush to announce that they were “blindsided” by Harry and Meghan over anything and everything. Harry and Meg breathe and a courtier has to call up someone and announce that they were blindsided by H&M’s lung capacity.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Yeah William and Kate weren’t told because it doesn’t involve them. It involves the legal owners of the lease (if there is one) Harry and Meghan, the people who are going to live there which is Jack and Eugenie and the “custodian” or whatever you want to call her of these properties, HM – which, if you believe the article, actually says she was told after discussions.
So again, they weren’t told because they weren’t involved
you were supposed to inform the owners of the palace/castle/throne.. oh wait.. the Keenbridges are just FF.. LOL
the joke is on them though!
These people have the WORST PR. Honestly. The only response to this is, great we are happy for the expecting couple. At least pretend to take ownership or at least indifference or just be silent about something fairly uncontroversial. That would be a competent PR response.
Instead they loudly announce that they are clueless, powerless, petty, and inept. I mean seriously these statements always raise so many questions and none of them flattering. If it weren’t for certain blabbermouth rage monsters who clearly all run their own amateur hour PR, this would be a nothing or a positive for everyone!
This flies in the face of the Keens- we are almost King and Queen- PR stunt from last week. HM keeps them out of the loop and I’m guessing HM knew who they could sublet to without notifying others for approval. By tomorrow, HM gave this to Eugenie because they felt bad for,upstaging her wedding with pregnancy (kinda hard to a bun in oven once it rises)
Great point, Greuy! Leaking to the press that they are incompetent and irrelevant is pretty poor PR strategy!
@Gruey it’s at the point where their every PR move is so bad that it’s comical. I really believe any commenter here could do a better job, and the royals have access to (allegedly) the best PR professionals in the world.
Every time something like this comes up, there are about 100 ideas in the comments here about how it could have been done better. They could save a lot of money and just read CB every day.
The fact that it didn’t leak until a few weeks after can confirm W&K didn’t know. If they had, of course it would have been leaked…….I don’t know how the RF can have so many leaks; imagine a fortune 500 company having so many leaks; it would be investigated and the people responsible, fired!
Buckinham palace released a statement basically saying that it was the sussexs business so why they are acting like this is beyond me
See but it doesn’t matter that one house is saying it’s fine when the others are whining loudly. Part of the amateurishness of the PR comes from the fact they are all low key at war with each other so they don’t have a unified voice and most of their “PR” winds up being just sniping and gossip about their own squabbles.
I don’t think it’s Buckingham that’s acting like this, I think it’s Kensington. (The article says the Queen was told after discussion, so the only people who would be coming out and claiming to be blindsided are Clarence House or Kensington, and Clarence doesn’t care/aren’t such PR dolts.)
Exactly. Why should they have to notify anyone? They’re all adults, and Harry and Meghan have paid in full for everything having to do with FC.
It’s not as if the palace is mad because they gave the house to some random, non-royal Hollywood “friend” or whatever and there are security concerns; it’s the Queen’s granddaughter for god’s sake. Does Betty just want total control over every aspect of her adult grandchildren’s lives? I can’t with this disgusting family, finding a way to trash Meghan for doing something generous (and practical!). If the house continued to sit empty, they’d be running articles about how wasteful it was.
These people are so pathetic. I don’t know how they spend their careers ruining peoples lives with this constant petty garbage, then go home to their children and face themselves in the mirror. Do they have a clue how utterly sad all this is? This is what they want to spend their time & careers on? It’s unfathomable to me.
I sincerely hope they do have some kind of agreement in writing, considering they had to pay back the cost of the renovations for what is legally a government owned property…
As did Andrew and Edward. This deal is no different. You pay upfront for the restoration, receive decades in the place rent free.
That would mean that Eugenie and Jack, the ones still in the family fold, didn’t check it with anyone either. Oops!
I think it’s great Belli. There were absolutely zero leaks, so now Harry knows Eugenie is in his corner. I am assuming that she also didn’t tell her parents (which is where I previously thought a lot of leaks came from). Color me surprised!
H&M shouldn’t trust anyone in that family….Eugenie’s father is still Andrew!
Eugenie might mean well but her father and mother are NOT to be trusted and those 2 will be around her
I doubt that Fergie and Andrew are in the know on enough to leak anything. Fergie actually made a statement in support of Meghan.
Once it came out and the “palace insider” has to be Andrew. He’s been pushing his daughters forward for years, why else would 2 non royal working couples be labeled “Fab Four?”
It is! I can only imagine how much of a relief it is for Harry that there is at least someone in the family who isn’t working against him.
It’s just funny to me that the papers are appalled that Harry and Meghan dared to keep it a secret, forgetting (or pretending to) that there are two other people in the agreement who didn’t blab.
As it has been revealed that Andrew’s team leaked the story of Harry and Meghan dating, perhaps Eugenie learned a lesson about keeping certain information she is privy to close to the vest when it comes to her parents. Or maybe those sleazes Andrew and Fergie are capable of showing some gratitude and kept their mouths shut since their nephew and niece-in-law are being kind enough to allow their daughter and her family to live in their nice, newly renovated home.
They’re all adults. H+M don’t need permission to let another member of the BRF rent their house.
Or maybe it was a condition the Sussexes gave the Brookesbanks: any leaks before you move in and this deal is off..
Honestly I can feel this story is already making me warm to Eugenie and hubs more. It didn’t leak, and you can only write that the Sussexes like someone so many times before I look at them a little differently (well…not the Fosters… or Jessica Mulroney…).
RIGHT?! Why isn’t that just as prominent in the headline— that the palace was also blindsided by Eugenie & Jack? I mean, we know why, it’s just so sick. They are determined to not give Harry and Meghan a single day of peace, ever. The hatred is astounding.
ETA: @Sid, is it confirmed that the Yorks are the ones who leaked H&M’s relationship to the press back in 2016? I know there’s been speculation, but I didn’t know if anyone knew for sure.
I could be remembering incorrectly, but it seems that FF revealed that the leak came from Andrew’s staff and then after that there were some rumblings from other sources in the tabloids that made it seem like this was something FF was correct on.
From Eugenie’s social media posts in the past, she does seem to be friendly with both Harry and Meghan. Not that social media is the end all be all, but that didn’t go unnoticed by me.
@Sara I mentioned that in another comment down thread, and I’m just thinking how sad is it that the most “public” support that Harry & Meghan got from anyone in that family is a “like” on Instagram?! IIRC there was an entire article about it; it was actually newsworthy that Eugenie liked a photo because everyone else in that trash family stayed completely silent.
It’s incredible that they treated Harry so poorly and so many people still love and defend them.
Reply to a deleted content
LOL! That’s happened to me. I didn’t see the original comments, but since your comment is just hanging, I’ll reply. This is the best kind of gossip. There’s no story here at all – wealthy couple rents renovated home they’re no longer using to beloved cousins – but 10 layers of fabricated drama.
Sometimes those posts are the most fun. Every time it’s mentioned that we’re not sure if the dress Kate wore to Harry’s wedding was pale yellow or white, it gets like 300+ comments 😂
I could talk about this nonsense endlessly; it’s such a nice break from the actual news.
Speaking of which, I can’t believe no one has brought up Eugenie’s sunglasses in the header photo— they’re incredibly strange looking!
Those sunglasses are straight out of The Rocky Horror Picture show.
Perhaps this means that Eugene and Harry have had more contact lately and before than we knew about. Which means they (Eugene and her hubby) have been able to keep it secret from her family and her cousins. That’s fantastic to hear that there is at least SOMEONE in that family that Harry can trust with SOME information.
hear hear!!
everyone needs good family support
even if its slightly removed – and especially if your parent/s and sibling/s are narcissistic
Eugenie probably didn’t want it known any more than Harry. Who would want to be spied on while moving in?
moving & pregnant.. double whammy
ITA! I think the relationship between Harry and Eugenie has always been absolutely fine and this is all nonsense the press came up with.
Didn’t Eugenie & Jack allow Harry to film that PSA (or whatever it was; I don’t remember exactly) with Ed Sheeran at their home a few months ago? And I realize this is a stupid barometer, but I could swear there were stories about Eugenie “liking” some of the Sussexes IG posts years ago— I think maybe it was shortly after Eugenie’s wedding?
I don’t think there’s ever been the slightest problem between any of them; it was all a press invention imo. It would have been nice if Eugenie could have said something supportive of Harry & Meghan publicly, but considering the situation with her father, it’s probably best that she and her sister lay low.
Not only was Eugenie liking posts on the Sussex IG, she was also commenting. I definitely recall her being supportive, mainly because she seemed to be the only BRF member at that point doing so in a public way. That’s why it is sad to read here that she allowed nasty comments about Meghan to stay up on her IG, while deleting ones about her parents.
In that family (as in many families) it wouldn’t be unusual for the closest relationships to be not with one’s immediate relatives but with the relatives one step out. Like the way that Charles was closer to Dickie Mountbatten (his great-uncle, right?) and his grandmother (the Queen Mother) than his parents. Harry and Eugenie are first cousins and grew up together, and clearly things are difficult with William, so if he still can have a warm familial relationship with his cousin, that’s great for him.
Is this the royal family’s new motto “we were blindsided “? It works better than the “ never complain, never explain “ because they do this all the time.
@harla It’s not a good look for KP or BP when they’re constantly saying they were “blindsided”…I mean, how bad is your security intel or staff or offices when you’re constantly walking around saying you’re completely surprised by significant happenings? If I did that at worked I’d be fired in 2 minutes. You start looking exactly as clueless as you are. It would be so much better for them to say, “Yep, we knew, and we wish them well”. PR 101.
It’s funny that this is generating soooo much press. In the regular, non-royal world, this would be, “I’m subletting my apartment to my cousin.”
shows how (un)relatable the Royals really are to the plebs.
Exactly. If I had to sublet my place for a long stretch of time, I would much prefer to give it or rent it to a family member than to a stranger. Not that H&M would *ever* have leased Frogmore Cottage to a stranger, I’m just saying, this line of thinking — to let one’s cousin live in one’s place for a time you’re not using it — is very common in the world!
Are any pics available of what frogmore looks like on the inside?I hope after all that fixing up its a bit modern.(I dont mean it needs to look like a spaceship,but it gives me creaky wood and noisy pipes vibes)
My understanding was that the vast majority of the ‘fixing up’ was structural.
According to statement still available on SUSSEX ROYAL website FUNDING section: The option of Apartment 1 in Kensington Palace was estimated to cost in excess of £4 million for mandated renovations including the removal of asbestos. ….Her Majesty The Queen offered The Duke and Duchess the use of Frogmore Cottage, WHICH WAS ALREADY UNDERGOING MANDATED RENOVATIONS, (e.g., replacement of structural beams, roofing, electrical, water piping at the eventual cost of £2.4 million) and would be available to move in before the birth of their son. …. The refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, the Grade-2 listed building in Windsor Home Park was funded by Her Majesty The Queen through the Sovereign Grant (£2.4 million repaid by H/M) , reflecting the Monarchy’s responsibility to maintain the upkeep of buildings with historical significance. Expenses related to fixtures, furnishings, and fittings at the official residence – which is owned by Her Majesty the Queen – were funded privately by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
I’m sure the Sussexes are not allowed to sublet to just anyone as this is Crown property and there must be security concerns —— so as one Celebitchy said yesterday —- subletting or allowing the use of their home to Eugenie and Jack was perfect! I love Kaiser’s take on it above. Also, of course the Queen (as landlord) would be notified but only after H/M/E/J talked amongst themselves to agree it would happen. Why would H/M inform Q before they knew for certain that this would go forward. Once again, couriers are left with egg on their face.
The wedding present that keeps on giving. No longer is it beware of Greeks bearing gifts, it’s now beware of the Royals bearing gifts.
@RoyalBlue— seriously!
The whole Frogmore saga has annoyed me from the very beginning. This was supposedly their wedding “gift” from the Queen, and they were given the crappiest home possible (in their view; I’m sure it’s a beautiful house any of us would love). But giving them former servants’ quarters was just handing the press another tool to harass them with. They absolutely framed it as “this is the best the Queen thinks they deserve.” Their detractors ran with it and haven’t shut up about it to this day.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was so dilapidated that it had to be completely gutted and renovated before it was livable — how is that a “gift?”
It makes me so mad that Harry and Meghan had to pay back that $2.4M. I absolutely understand why they did it — the press would have bitched about it until the end of time — but it’s so unfair. They ended up paying to refurbish one of the Queen’s properties, when she’s the one who let the condition deteriorate so badly — and again, this was their wedding GIFT so she should have paid for the renovations in the first place!
We all know from other articles over the years that she used money that was supposed to go toward the upkeep of BP elsewhere, and now the costs of fixing up BP are significantly higher than if she’d kept on top of it over the years. I don’t understand why she faces no consequences for this, and they just approved a larger budget to cover the BP costs. She failed to do her job when it came to maintaining BP, and as such, should have to use her own personal money to pay for the mess it is now, but no. Unreal what this family gets away with.
I hope that Charles is actually the one who paid the $2.4M and it was just stated publicly that it was H&M so the media would get off their backs about it.
@Lorelei, seeing this play out, I am sure Bea wasted no time and said, “Grandmama, Edo and I will take the crystal and china please. No properties.”
Crown Estate properties do not belong to Betty Windsor personally. She is not responsible for paying for their upkeep, either personally or with the Sovereign Grant. That is the responsibility of the managers of the Crown Estate.
They always say the Queen is gifting this or that property, but no ownership ever changes hands. W&K do not own Anmer Hall, like Duke and Duchess of Kent didn’t own it when they lived there. They’ve been ‘given’ the opportunity to live there rent free. That’s all it meant when they said ‘gifted FC to Harry and Meghan’ = given them the opportunity to buy into a Crown Estate lease like Andrew, Edward, Princess Alexandra.
Why be so upset about it? Frogmore Cottage wasn’t dilapidated; it was split into five separate 2-bedroom apartments. It was slated for needed structural repairs and updates (plumbing, electric), but those were for keeping it as separate apartments. Changing it back to a single family home wasn’t on the original plans, so that did cause design changes and additional charges.
Harry and Meghan didn’t get rooked, and their deal is similar to Andrew and Edward. Andrew paid 7.5 million (in 2002 money) to fix up Royal Lodge and got a pre-paid 75 year lease in return. Edward split costs with the Crown Estate, he paid half, but still pays additional rent every year. Once the Queen is gone and no longer subsidizing them? Edward and Sophie will have to sell their lease on Bagshot because they cannot afford the annual rent on their own.
Harry and Meghan paid for the fix up and changes to Frogmore Cottage to turn it from a 5 apartment unit to a single family home. They have gotten decades of free rent in return, similar to Andrew’s deal. They can sell the lease if they want to and get their money back.
Yes, people other than royals can buy leases in Crown Estate property. One of Charles’s friends has a purchased lease on Fort Belvedere. Years ago, Princess Alexandra bought a lease from someone else, not a royal, so she and her family could move to Thatched Lodge.
@nota, yes we understand now how it works. however, they make a grand show of stating the Queen is gifting the couple this property and that is actually deceitful. First of all, it’s not the Queen’s to gift, she didn’t spend a cent on it. It’s the Crown Estates committee or whoever makes these decisions. Second of all, anything someone gives me that causes me to spend millions of dollars, is not a gift and they need to stop representing it as such. And then if you insist I pay a monthly market rent on top of paying for structural changes and fixtures and fittings, then on top of being an asset it’s also a liability. it’s lovely to live on the Crown property, but Petty Betty should stop presenting herself as some benevolent and generous grandmother.
It isn’t deceitful if you’ve been paying attention for years and know this is just the language they use. To me this is people getting upset about a whole lot of nothing. Harry was free to turn down the offer and stay in a rented house like the one in the Cotswolds. He was free to spend 2 million buying a house of his own. He chose to accept the offer of a purchased lease on a Crown Estate property.
Harry hasn’t been singled out or mistreated. He has a deal similar to Andrew and Edward, a deal more like fav Andrew’s than Edward’s in fact. It looks like they aren’t having to pay annual rent like Edward does, and this initial investment covers their lease on the property for decades.
@Lorelai – when Fergie and Prince Perv divorced, the Queen offered that Fergie and her daughters move into a run down cottage on one of the estates too (I forget which, I want to say Sandringham). Says even more about TQ when she offered royal crap to a just married and expecting couple.
If it was on Sandringham, it would have been Wood Farm. That is where the Queen and Philip used to spend a few weeks each year before Sandringham Estate closed to the public at Christmas. It is where Sarah used to stay at Christmas time after the divorce every year until recently, and where Philip lives in retirement now. So ‘run down cottage’ it ain’t.
Nota, @RoyalBlue said it better than I did. Most people don’t know the ins and outs of the Crown Estate and how its finances work. The popular perception that most people hear is that the Queen “gifts” these homes as wedding presents. Even if she’s just the one making the decision as to which property they get.
As I said, *I* don’t think FC is a dump, but again, it’s the popular perception. The fact that it used to be servants’ quarters has been thrown at H&M as an insult, and the property did require a ton of work. From what I read at the time, it was not in livable condition when it was given to them. William and Kate weren’t given servants’ quarters. Nor Andrew. Or Edward. Or Anne. IMO I do think it is fair to say Harry was singled out in that regard.
Hard-core royalists obviously know more about the intricacies of the Crown Estates, but that’s not the story most people hear or come away with. It’s always, always framed as “the Queen gave…” just as RoyalBlue said.
Also, I distinctly remember reading articles about the Queen mismanaging money that was meant for upkeep of BP and as a result her budget increased to do the work now and will not go back down again even after the work is completed. It would take me a while to go back and find where I read it but I know I didn’t imagine it. It’s possible the source was wrong, but IIRC I read it in an actual newspaper (not trash like the Fail) — it wasn’t just some commenter saying it. But as I said it was a long time ago and I don’t remember the specifics.
To reiterate, again, for the millionth time in this thread.
Betty doesn’t own the Crown Estate properties. She is not responsible for their management or mismanagement, someone else is.
Before Frogmore Cottage was partitioned into five separate 2-bedroom flats? It was the single family home of other staff. It had also been the home of one of their royal Russian cousins who was living in exile. Earlier than that is was the home of Queen Charlotte and her daughters. In 2017 it was being lived in by five Windsor castle staff and their families, so clearly it was livable.
The building needed plumbing and electrical revamp and updates. The plan was to keep it as 5 separate units. When Harry and Meghan agreed to Frogmore instead of Apartment 1, those plans had to be changed. Those changes may have cost extra.
Anne, Andrew, Edward are children of a monarch. Harry is not. He is the son of the future monarch. William is heir to the heir, so he will get more than his younger brother. That is how it works. W&K don’t own Anmer Hall, they get to live in it for free. Harry was always going to get less than William, and he’d get less than Anne, Andrew, Edward while he is the grandson of a monarch not the younger son of a monarch.
Harry and Meghan were offered massive FREE accommodations at Kensington Palace, 21-room Apartment 1. They chose to accept the Frogmore Cottage lease, which they were not required to do.
There is not an endless supply of Crown Estate properties. Royal Lodge, Bagshot, Thatched Cottage, Belvedere are all taken. Adelaide Cottage is smaller, less private, and currently used for office space. If they’d been offered a lease on Frogmore House, it would have cost a minimum of 10 million out of their (Harry and Meghan’s pockets) to fix up. That’s approximately what Andrew paid in today’s money to fix up Royal Lodge in exchange for free rent for 75 years.
William is so pissed he couldn’t leak this. This decision didn’t involve him. Neither Harry or Eugenie talk to him, it seems. I don’t think anyone in that family really likes him (or Kate)
The Big Five questions results are in so Keens are back to royal long.
Willileaks’ ‘mypalacesource’ got plugged.
I can’t imagine being so petty that my brother subletting his house to my cousin would actually ‘blindside me’. Willie should be embarrassed putting that out there.
Nice looking cottage. THe name certainly makes me think it is small but obviously, that is not the case
Don’t forget the “cottage” that W&K lived in up in Wales was FIVE bedrooms. For us plebs, “cottage” means a very small, cozy home. But not for them!
So the Queen was informed so which senior royals were ‘blindsided’? Seems like those who needed to know did. Methinks certain people just salty they missed a leaking opportunity.
Yeah it sounds to me that the one person who had the ultimate say on it WAS informed (i.e., not “blindsided”) before it all happened, and apparently didn’t have any objection to it, and that QE’s team kept it under their hats as well.
Yeah and maybe the Queen’s not letting info drift down to BP press office is her way of giving them a little slap in the face for the drama over the wreath. After all — according to them —- they denied Harry’s request without bothering to send it up the chain to her. I hope this was a bit of payback!
Spot on!
Exactly! The only people who were blindsided, it seems, were the Cambridges. It sounds like they’re really mad over the fact that they didn’t know, but it tells me that no one trusts them, not even Eugenie and Jack.
BP released the information confirming the sublet so it’s obvious it was only KP that was “blindsided”.
“Obviously the Queen was told” after they spoke about it = “They bypassed any senior royalty or courtiers who would have leaked it, and went straight to Petty Betty. Once they got her (inexplicably necessary) blessing, they simply got on with it.”
Did the Queen know? She doesn’t actually run the Crown Properties and doesn’t seem in the know about a lot of things. Maybe only the property manager knew.
I think only the people who are directly concerned and the legalities of the properties were informed. This means people who have actual professions that require formal training, so they don’t need nor desire to sell out the Queen or her family for tabloid clicks.
Everyone else who’s pretty sh*t at PR and comms was probably bypassed because they are awful at their jobs, proven again by this latest “debacle.”
Would have loved to be on that ZOOM chat!
It has been made painfully clear that one does not simply pick up the phone and call the queen. Every call goes through her courtiers who then decide whether or not to pass it on to her. There’s no way they just called and got her on the phone to tell her this. Someone else not only knew, they actually kept their mouth shut about it for once.
So much for the whole “Eugenie hates Meghan for ruining her wedding with the pregnancy announcement!” narrative. I love it. The Sussexes know how to keep their business locked down.
I never believed that. I can believe her parents were annoyed that the wedding didn’t get enough press attention but it’s already been stated that the family was told before the wedding. And as Meghan was starting to show, there was no chance of hiding it during the tour. It had to be announced. It was just unfortunate timing.
If Eugenie is an ally, she is not a very good one. She stayed quiet while her mother stoked the flames of Meghan upstaging her wedding. She left racist and hateful comments about Meghan on her Instagram while deleting ones about her mother. She is a taker.
@Jenn — Thank you; I am surprised no one mentioned Eugenie performative allyship……..
Accurate description, Jenn. She should have spoke up.
I agree, they’re takers, but I also believe that M&H are so gracious, self-aware, emotionally intelligent that they know what they can share and with who. They also understand that Eugene might not have the place or simply guts to get into a huge PR thing with her parents and BP. Best to just lay low and keep your alliances secret unfortunately. I can also see The Sussex’s just simply putting good energy out there after people helped them when they first moved to CA.
I never believed it either or at least, it went down the way we are told
I think people were told Meghan was pregnant BEFORE the wedding through word of mouth, group chat etc etc and because these weddings are the only time the extended family really gets together, people gave their congratulations at the wedding. Or people came up to Meghan and said “I heard you were expecting, is that true?” And Meghan went “Yes it is!”. I really don’t think Meghan came up to everyone at the wedding and said “Hi I’m pregnant.”
Zara’s husband, Mike, stated that they had all been informed via SNAPCHAT group prior to Eugenie’s wedding. This was a mountain out of a molehill from Eugenie’s nasty parents in my opinion.
This story still makes me mad. There’s no way Meghan got up on stage, clicked her glass, and said, “excuse me, can I have your attention? I’d like to make an announcement!”
Just to correct the record, Mike Tindall said the cousins have a What’s App group thread and they were told there and so they all knew prior to the day of the wedding.
That the story about Meghan announcing her pregnancy at the wedding had such legs shows and wasn’t shut down that the Yorks are not reliable allies. Eugenie kept her mouth shut about this sub lease only because it benefits her directly.
I’m pretty sure the WhatsApp (not Snapchat) group chat was about the birth of Archie, not the announcement of the pregnancy.
No, it was definitely about the pregnancy. I think the birth was also shared on their Whats App chat, but Mike Tindall mentioned the WhatsApp in context with the pregnancy announcement.
I came here to say this! That was Fergie & Andrew, and perhaps Willileaks.
I think the only people whining are the ones who were not told in case they ‘leaked’ it to the press twisted to fit their own agenda. Am sure TQ and Chuck knew but we all know who DIDN’T know – seems that the rest of the family are now keeping things from the Cambridges. Oh, what tea the press must have on them if they are so desperate to leak ANYTHING to the press not just about the Sussex’s but everyone else too.
Uuhhm buckingham palace released a statement saying that frogmore was the sussex’s private residence and any arrangement made was their concern
Exactly. It much more to add to the statement. Also, while people here think Eugenie is a bit shady, the thing is her and Jack moving in is going to remove Frogmore Cottage from the conversation. What are they going to say now? Can’t exactly complain that the Sussexes shouldn’t let the Queen’s pregnant granddaughter, an HRH blood Princess, sublet their renovated home, which has been paid up in full. I’m curious about the layout. Like is there a separate guest wing that will be reserved for the Sussexes while Eugenie gets run of the rest of the place? I’d be surprised if they actually stay there while Eugenie is there but that’s neither here nor there.
Do these alleged senior royals have some type of information processing impairment where ANY new information has to be slowly presented to them over a period of days so that they have time to mentally adjust to this new world vision? Otherwise, they are stunned and may short-circuit and flip into incandescent anger mode?
“Excuse me, Prince William, but the telly appears to have broken.” “What? How could you blindside me with this news?” I mean, the press is painting them as absolute idiots.
It seems that the courtiers are the first line of communication for most things and they seem to vet information before it gets anywhere near the Royals. In this case, Harry and Eugenie probanly just picked up the PHONE,like mere mortals, and discussed the possibility of this sublet and then phoned the Queen. I bet PWT has told the courtiers to pass on info to him and then he leaks. Both were out of the loop as it didn’t concern them.
Blindsided? How is blindsided the word you use for something so mundane?
Try surprised. That would have worked just fine. Instead, they act like they found a dead body or a rose bush.
Thanks for the unintentional laugh DS9….reading your comment, I thought you said, ….”Instead they act like they found a dead body UNDER a rose Bush.” The image of that just made me laugh, as we know William is such a KEEN gardener.
Seriously, these people need to drop the hysterics, they’re just embarrassing themselves.
When is it going to click for them that all senior royals and courtiers don’t need to be informed of every move H&M make? This has been the case since the start of the year lol get used to it
Fab Four, really?
H and M could adopt two turtles and BM would call them the Fab Four. SMH
This is great! I loved the original story and this hysteric response makes it even better. We all knew this would be used against H&M in some crazy way and here we are, it’s glorious.
On a more serious note I’m so pleased that they are finding ways around (Willi) leaks and we’re hearing about these decisions after the fact. Nice work Sussexes.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
How in the world are the PR people for the royals always “blindsided” by every little thing H&M do?
They need to carry smelling salts and have a fainting couch on hand at all times lmaooooooo
LOL. And pearls to clutch. I’m picturing every residence with a Break in case of Emergency glass box full of pearls, plus in every pocket. They probably spent all of the hem weights budget on smelling salts, fainting couches and pearls – another mystery solved. @Oatmeal – thanks for the laughter this morning.
Lmao!! Anyhoo, The Palace should be focusing on Fred and Gladys image. They are being trolled everywhere….
Hahahaha! Blindsided! I hope H&M continue to “blindside” them at every turn 😂
At this point I believe the whole “blindsided” narrative is just the press essentially saying they are pissed that they had no idea and that their sources (Kensington Palace) failed them yet again.
As I pointed out before, I have no doubt they have Frogmore Cottage under surveillance. Last month they were writing articles that Frogmore Cottage was being prepped for Harry and Meghan’s return. Either for Christmas or the trial. SOMEONE must have fed them that information and they obviously got it wrong. Now we know that the preparation was for Jack and Eugenie to move in as the Sussex’s moved their stuff out.
I’m sure the RRs are FURIOUS that they 1) Got bad info 2) therefore didn’t get the scoop 3) lost an opportunity to spin things negatively 4) are now realizing that this is yet another nail in the coffin of their hopes that the Sussex’s would return after the “1 year review”. 5) Also, the new living situation will prevent them from being tipped off about when the Sussex’s are in town.
I highly doubt the Sussex’s are going to stay at Frogmore when they visit and will probably stealthily visit by either staying in a hotel or with friends. They could conceivably enter and leave the UK before the press get wind of it.
#5 is a huge point. Honestly they killed 2 birds with one stone letting E&J stay there. They basically have house sitters and a reason not to return to Frogmore upon trips back to the UK. They’ll absolutely be able to slip in and out of the country now. If they stay at Frogmore it’ll be hard to tell cause Frogmore has always looked lived in— who knows if anyone else is there? If they stay at a friends place then the press absolutely won’t know unless H&M make themselves known.
Yup — being ‘blindsided’ just confirms that the information has DRIED UP for KP. The press are getting more and more confirmation that Cambridge’s are CUT OFF from the Sussex and won’t be able to give them scoops EVER AGAIN. What will they do? *as I gleefully Montgomery Burns style tap my fingers together**
H&M as well as Eugenie probably had to inform the queen who was staying in Frogmore. It would be a huge security issue for the queen, especially as she’s quarantined there, to not know if some random person were on the property. Giving it to E&J was the perfect solution and giving that Andrew is the the queen’s favorite, I doubt she minds that eugenie is living there. This is just the Cambridge’s being mad that nothing was run by them and they weren’t important enough to even get a heads up. Lol.
The real reason they are blind sided is that it effectively kills any speculation that HM will be coming back after the one year review.
Frogmore is not little and I don’t understand why this narrative keeps being pushed.
Because compared to the other grand estates the families live on, it is small by comparison. That doesn’t mean it’s not a lovely place to live especially after renovations. It’s probably the equivalent of living in an upper middle class home vs living in a mansion or an estate.
Anne, Andrew, Edward are children of a reigning monarch. Harry is the son of the heir to the throne, but he’s the younger son not the heir-to-the-heir. Frogmore Cottage, formerly 10 bedrooms, is fine.
There aren’t that many Crown Estate properties running around. Andrew has Royal Lodge, Edward has Bagshot but has to 1) pay rent and 2) lease out part of it because he cannot afford it on his own. Princess Alexandra has had Thatched Cottage since the 1960s, but they weren’t going to throw her out. A Canadian diplomat (friend of Charles) lives in Fort Belvedere. Throwing him out wouldn’t make sense and the haters would crow about Meghan living in Wallis Simpson’s old house.
Frogmore House was always reserved for Prince Philip for retirement. The royals wised up and saw that sinking millions into that palatial home for Philip would make people very angry. They moved him to Wood Farm at Sandringham. If Harry and Meghan had been offered Frogmore House instead of Frogmore Cottage, they would have had to pay mininum 10 million for the fix up plus annual rent.
@Nota,Agree that the Sussexes were given a lovely home once everything was done to it. However, it was the overwrought and nasty press reaction while they were senior working Royals that soured so many people on it and led to the trash talk. The fact that so many thought they didn’t deserve anything from the Queen, were undeserving of it, and that they should have to pay for the already planned budgeted upgrades. They were paying for the interior renovations but that was completely drowned out. You’d think they were building Versailles 2.0. Anyway, it is what it is., they’ve paid for the whole thing, set up a long term lease and a royal who is not Meghan Markle is living there now, so nothing left to say except this blindsided nonsense.
BP released a statement so I’m guessing this is coming from KP. They have no reason to know about this as it does not involved them. Another example of the micromanaging I’m glad Harry and Meghan escaped. If they want to be in everyone’s business before they are even #2 in line, imagine how they’d be as the monarch….
It would be an untenable situation for Harry and Meghan. Harry’s comment about more or less having a short amount of time to get things in order (I think around the time of the South Africa tour) just continues to make so much sense. They needed these years when public interest is at its highest to set themselves up to be financially independent so that they would never have to rely on the BRF for anything (or have to make dodgy deals or shill prams or make tacky milk commercials like certain other people). As petty and vindictive as William has shown himself to be, can you imagine being a working royal during his reign and having to approach him for funding? A nightmare.
I thought the new fab four were Bully, Catty, Edward and Sophie. I guess that fizzled out fast.
Viva la revolution.
They’ve been through several renditions. First it was W&K plus Harry and Meghan. Then it was W&K plus Charles and Camilla. Wasn’t there a story about W&K plus Van Cutsem or Van Strawberry as the new Fab Four too?
how could I forget the stint with Charles and Camilla. They kept trying until they realized no one really wanted to drag the Cambridges along with them.
Did Eugenie and Jack give up ivy cottage? Are they trying to save on rent for a few months to have more cash for the baby? Or maybe they’re trying to save up to buy their own place? Just curious about the end goal.
Maybe they wanted to move out of London temporarily, while a pandemic rages and they are expecting their first child.
Haha, Willie is just mad he didn’t get the chance to spin this the way he wanted to. Twitter trolls were rejoicing at the queen ‘evicting harry and Meghan and moving eugenie in for free’, but I guess that narrative has changed. They are pissed that eugenie is still connected to harry and this gesture is a clear sign there is no beef between Meghan and eugenie. It ruins the narrative that everyone hates Meghan and harry because they are “so awful” lol.
I understand that the queen needs to be told because she lives on the estate, but what does this have to do with Willie and Kate anyway?
This is such rubbish. Of course the queen knew, Eugenia would have to have told her she was moving out of Ivy Cottage so i don’t believe the queen was informed until after the ‘dead of night’ move. For once she didn’t call a conference with Baldy and set him in a rage.
Is the senior royal who was blindsided also incandescent with rage?
Ya’ll, I’m beginning to see a pattern! LOL – how are they this spectacularly bad at PR?
The palace vs the Sussexes. The Sussexes woke up …blindsided! The Sussexes rented out their grace and favor servants quarters…blindsided. The Sussexes scored a delightful Netflix contract….blindsided, blindsided, blindsided. The Sussexes live their life free from the vipers nest. Blindxvfgbcbvfh malfunctioning …
Seriously! I’m on good speaking terms with my brother, and I don’t tell him anything about what I do.
Right?!? My brothers and I like each other and I found out one was moving 1000 away 2 weeks before he left. I was not blindsided I sent them a welcome gift!
@Liz
Thanks for making me spit out my coffee…
My brother and I are as thick as thieves but we live about 3 hours apart and don’t feel like we need to be in constant communication
Haha right!?!
The senior royals blindsided were Charles and William because they weren’t informed about the arrangements. If they were it would have leaked to the press a long time ago. I’m happy Harry has someone he can trust in that family.
So Betty is “blindsided” that her granddaughter (from her fave child) has a nice and secure place that is also close to family to have her growing family????
This makes me laugh. I love it. Don’t tell them shit.
To me this is glorious in another way. The Queen usually “gives” a house to her royal children/grandchildren upon marriage. She didnt do that so much here and H & M stepped up to do it! So they gave them a house! HAHAHAAAA!!! I bet quite a few are upset at the audacity of it all (to them)!
She doesn’t ‘give’ things away anymore. She purchased Gatcomb Park for Anne with private funds. Purchased land for Andrew to build ugly Sunninghill. After that, no more giving away of things that actually belonged to her. Crown Estate properties do not belong to Betty personally.
Edward and Sophie were ‘gifted’ the ability to spend millions on a Crown Estate lease. W&K were ‘gifted’ the ability to live rent free in Anmer Hall but they do not own it personally. Harry and Meghan were ‘gifted’ the ability to purchase a Crown Estate lease, like Andrew with Royal Lodge and Edward/Sophie with Bagshot.
I think @JIlly’s point stands though. The queen has a history of “gifting” the ability to live in a particular property. She didn’t do that for Eugenie but Harry & Meghan did.
I love all of the extra information you bring to these posts (I always learn something new), but here it feels like the distinction between “gift” and “give” is at best secondary to the point being made.
It isn’t secondary, because some are convinced she’s handing free houses to X but not Harry and Meghan or Eugenie and Jack. People are feeling slighted on the Sussex behalf for no reason.
The Queen didn’t hand houses to Zara and Peter. Why should she hand houses to Beatrice and Eugenie? She didn’t hand houses to her niece and nephew either.
She may have leaned on Historic Royal Palaces to get Eugenie the chance to move to Ivy Cottage. Pay rent and live in that 3-bedroom house on the KP grounds. Also remember Eugenie and Beatrice inherit the pre-paid lease on Royal Lodge when Andrew dies.
“Also remember Eugenie and Beatrice inherit the pre-paid lease on Royal Lodge when Andrew dies. ”
And as we all know evil never dies, so tut tut, those poor girls won’t get their hands on the property.
Due respect NOTA but that’s not at all what I said. I get it, you know more about the crown estates. No one is challenging that, but that wasn’t the point I understand JIlly to be making. Her point is about M&H stepping up for the family and the irony.
No where did either of us mention anyone feeling slighted on the Sussex’s behalf. Other commenters, yes, but not this comment.
Brilliant.
I wasn’t sure what to make of this news when I saw it this weekend. I thought maybe Harry and Meghan had been ordered to give the cottage to Eugenie and Jack, since it was clear after they bought a house in Montecito that they had no intention of returning anytime soon to the UK. But knowing it was Meghan and Harry’s decision to let Eugenie and Jack move in makes feel so much better about the whole thing. I’m so glad Eugenie and Harry are tight still and that Eugenie has Harry’s back. I always side eyed those “Eugenie was upset Meghan revealed her pregnancy at her wedding” stories. The timing wasn’t great obviously but it was so evident Meghan was expecting under that bulky coat, she couldn’t even button it closed all the way.
I’m sure the Queen or someone on her staff had to be informed at some point, since I doubt Jack and Eugenie could just show up with moving trucks with no prior warning on the Windsor Estate? That would probably be a security issue? But whenever it happened, it wasn’t early enough for William to get wind of it and whoever was staking out the cottage on a regular basis had false info haha. Anyways, I don’t see how William should have been involved in this in the first place. Anything that happens at Frogmore Cottage doesn’t concern him.
Why didn’t Eugenie set the story straight when the masses were literally screaming for Meghan’s head for disrupting Eugenie’s wedding. Why didn’t she speak up even once? She could have so easily changed the narrative. If I’m being charitable, I think she didn’t say anything in their defense because both H&M told her not to worry about it. In the grand scheme of things, this was minor to the four involved? Only the racists/hateful people wanted, and still want to believe the worst of Meghan.
She should have, but both the sisters have enough on their plate as daughters of whom they are and probably trying to be in good graces with PWT, too. I understand if they steer clear of this.
True she could have. But to be generous to Eugenie, in the aftermath of her wedding, I really do think Meghan’s pregnancy was the last thing on her list of priorities. Also how many times has Eugenie issued official statements to the press? They’ve only been about her engagement, wedding, and birth announcement that I can remember recently.
I think Harry and Meghan are just glad SOMEONE is going to be using the property and maybe they think Eugenie and Jack are the lesser of the evils in the RF. Who knows.
So I also thought this story was super weird when it first broke, but as the days have gone on I’ve sort of reconsidered. I can see it going something like this -Eugenie calls up Harry to tell him about Meghan about her pregnancy, they are very excited for them, Harry hangs up and then says to Meghan – “hey, Ivy Cottage is kind of small, and it might be nice for Eugenie to be closer to her parents when she has the baby, what do you think about offering her Frogmore for the first year or so until they find a house they want? We’re not living there and they can even use Archie’s old crib.” Meghan agrees, they call Eugenie back, and she is excited and agrees.
William and Kensington Palace were “blindsided” because there was no reason for them to be informed.
At first I thought it was “off” because I got the vibe that it wasn’t H&M’s choice, but as we’ve learned more about it and BP has made it very clear that this has nothing to do with the palace – I think it really is just about one cousin doing something nice for another cousin. William is, of course, incredibly confused and incandescent with rage about the whole thing bc he has never done anything nice for his cousins.
Becks1, this also sounds temporary. They’re house sitting for a few months while waiting for the birth of their child. Out of London during a pandemic, close to her parents and grandmother at Windsor.
Exactly, it doesn’t sound like this is going to be where they live forever. It is starting to seem like a win-win situation in my eyes for all involved. The house gets used, Harry and Meghan will have cover when (if) they go back to the UK, in that no one will be able to track their plans based on activity at Frogmore.
The way the news broke made it sound a lot weirder than I think it actually is. But of course, tabloids.
(btw, how DID the news break? The Sun broke it, right? How did they find out?)
Weren’t the York girls born in Windsor as well? If so Eugenie may be using the same hospital as her mother did. They grew up in Windsor so they have their family physician and specialists based there and not in central London.
@Nic no the York girls were born at Portland (same hospital as Archie)
When I hear the RR’s say senior Royals weren’t told, what I really interpret that to mean is that Bill and Katie were not told and by implication were not able to leak to the RR’s who themselves feel blindsided.
It’s clear that the Sussexes feel the Camb’s were the leakers and no longer share information with them. Further they organise their affairs to completely leave them out of the loop. The Camb’s also do not want to be so directly identified as it tends to show how little power Will really has over Harry.
I think Betty and Chuck’s office new, but Chuck is in the middle of his own crisis at the moment and Betty is hiding out in one of her Castles so Bill is completely at sea doing his own Game of Thrones thing.
The pandemic has given Meghan and Harry a chance to breathe and take stock before the next chapter of their lives,
Why are they so blindsided? Queens grandson let’s queens granddaughter sublet his house. What is there to say? The royal family was very clear that they don’t speak for the Sussexes and that they are on their own. If we were told the queen insisted Harry let Eugenie move in, these same blindsided people would be praising the Queen for reasons. Seems the Sussexes don’t want the house empty and collecting dust, and Eugenie wants a place to stay with some privacy. It’s their business and not that big a deal.
This story does not make sense. I imagine Harry and Meghan asked Eugenie and Jack if they would be interested in moving into Frogmore Cottage, and when they said “yes,” Harry went to the Queen. There is no way this would not have gone down without the Queen’s okay. The idea itself may have “blindsided” someone, but I do not believe this was decided before the Queen signed off on it. Nobody moves into the Home Park without permission.
The decision and communication probably went on through channels proven to be trustful.
Maybe Eugenie asked her own father to ask the queen, (ewww), or even through Charles. Nothing nowhere K-palace, and probably around those courtiers (Angela who?) who denied Harry to talk to Granny.
Here’s what happened:
Eugenie and Jack were living at Ivy Cottage at *Kensington Palace* before skedaddling over to Frogmore. Coinkydink? I think not.
I don’t think it takes an MI5 detective to figure out that maybe William and Kate are total assholes that no one wants to be around. The fact that Harry sublet his house to her speaks volumes.
I think Jack and Eugenie are in a prime position to take cues from some good sources on the outside. From Jack’s work – George Clooney has been smart with his friendships – they’re clearly long lasting and people aren’t leaking stuff all over the place. Sussexes are both showing how to chart a course outside the BRF. And Eugenie seems to be learning who in her family is going to leak. In particular, she’s going to have to figure out what line to walk with her parents. Meghan could offer a masterclass in how to handle all that narc crap.
Why does the “palace” insist on appearing so dumb all the time. It’s embarrassing.
Lots of people knew Eugenie and Jack were moving. Buckingham Palace, the Sussexes, Eugenie and Jack, the security who work on Windsor property, the utilities company, the workers who clean ivy cottage, the company that moved the Brookbanks’ items to their new home, probably Bea and Edo know as well as dare I say it, Sarah and Andrew. Charles was probably holed up in the countryside somewhere with Camilla taking shots and doesn’t care to be told. So it looks like KP was the only one clueless to the going ons and extremely upset they were not informed beforehand.
Believe that is exactly the way it went. A pregnant lady does not make a big move like this without at least her parents and sister informed. That Frogmore was sitting empty for so long indicates the need for support services, as well.
The icing on the cake is that they can fuss all they want about who asked who and protocol, but let’s just see if anyone is willing to turf out a pregnant princess right before Christmas!
William is incandescent. Kate is keen. The palace is blindsided.
Ever shall it be.
Given that Eugenie and Jack will be so close to her parents and the Queen after the move, I bet the communication happened as a private thing between Eugenie or her father and the Queen, in addition to between Harry and the Queen. It would be weird to be moving so close and not reach out to your grandmother to let her know. Perhaps Eugenie and Jack are isolating and joining the HMS Bubble in time for the holidays. Anyway, it appears that some folks are capable of not leaking if given sufficient incentive.
I think this hurts W&K because it shows that H&M, even in exile, continue to be closer to and more accepted by the York princesses and the posh crowd than Kate ever was or even will be.
The running pr for the monarchy would be in the toilet if they were a fortune 500 company-no company or firm could last or be successful having important info leaking. They need to get a grip on this leaking situation. As long as everyone is happy with the deal-no gripes from me. Good luck to Harry, Meghan, Eugenie, and Jack.
I have not checked in here for a while as I thought it was getting boring, but the last several posts are great
quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday
bloglist. You deserve it friend 🙂