The entire thing with Frogmore Cottage was horrible from start to finish. The fact that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wanted a home in Windsor – and not London – was for awful reasons. They wanted to go to Windsor so they could get the hell away from the toxic Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Harry and Meghan needed emotional and physical space away from William and Kate! The Queen offered them a dilapidated cottage which was traditionally used as “servant’s quarters” or “makeshift office space.” The understanding was that the Crown Estates would pay to refurbish this decrepit little shack during Meghan’s pregnancy. The British papers went wild, accusing Harry and Meghan of using taxpayer money to fund their “lavish” renovation of a place which probably should have been a tear-down anyway. Then the papers continued to taunt the Sussexes over the cost and their need to “repay” the cost of the reno for more than a year. Until Harry finally did repay it in 2020. He was the first royal to “repay” the cost of renovating a Crown Estate property. The money just… went right back into the Crown Estates.
Oh, and did I mention that Harry and Meghan’s “lease” on Frogmore Cottage was a lot shorter than every other royal lease on Crown Estate properties? For example, Prince Andrew’s “lease” on the 31-bedroom mansion Royal Lodge is for 75 years. Prince Edward’s lease on Bagshot Park is for 150 years! The lease given to Harry and Meghan for Frogmore was… for three years. Insane. So, interestingly enough, Harry has renewed the lease.
The Duke of Sussex has renewed his soon-to-expire lease on Frogmore Cottage and will continue to be allowed to deputise for the Queen, the Telegraph understands. The Duke, who lives in California but is still a UK citizen, is eligible to serve his grandmother as one of her four Counsellors of State because he qualifies as being domiciled in Britain thanks to his old Windsor address.
He and the Duchess have had to decide whether to renew the lease, which expires on March 31. The Telegraph understands that they plan to continue the arrangement. Until now, that decision has been considered a matter for the Sussex family, with the Duke this week insisting he still considers the UK “home” but feels unsafe visiting because of unresolved security arrangements.
A spokesman for the Duke said: “There are no planned changes to the current arrangement.”
In September 2020, the Sussexes paid back £2.4 million for renovations to Frogmore Cottage, including rent up to March 2022, in a complicated arrangement detailed only in part in the palace annual accounts. Princess Eugenie, Jack Brooksbank and their son, August, are reported to have been living there while her cousin is in California.
Details of Prince Harry’s UK living arrangements have unexpectedly become a constitutional matter, The Telegraph has learned, thanks to his role as one of the Queen’s four remaining Counsellors of State. A source with extensive knowledge of the legal issues said counsellors must only be “domiciled” in the UK, with two historic examples of individuals who lived abroad while remaining in the role – one against his will as a prisoner of war and the other working in a realm.
My guess is that Harry is still hellbent on demonstrating that he would like to maintain some kind of residence in the UK for a multitude of reasons, not least of which is that he would like to visit (eventually) with his wife and children. Plus, I’m guessing that Harry wants to ensure that his (favorite?) cousin Princess Eugenie has a place to live with her husband and son. As far as anyone knows, Eugenie and Jack are still living in Frogmore quite happily and I would assume that arrangement will stay. No one has ever said anything about Eugenie and Jack paying for the sublet either? Anyway, it’s interesting.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1577801 – The Duke of Sussex speaking at Windsor Castle after Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a baby boy weighing 7lbs 3oz, in Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex BACKGRID USA 6 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1577801 – The Duke of Sussex speaking at Windsor Castle after Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a baby boy weighing 7lbs 3oz, in Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex BACKGRID USA 6 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1577801 – The Duke of Sussex speaking at Windsor Castle after Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a baby boy weighing 7lbs 3oz, in Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex BACKGRID USA 6 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England. Pictured: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex BACKGRID USA 8 MAY 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- ** RIGHTS: ONLY UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, CANADA ** Windsor, UNITED KINGDOM – BGUK_1763809 – Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attend a roundtable discussion on gender equality with The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust (QCT) and One Young World at Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK. Pictured: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex,, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex BACKGRID USA 25 OCTOBER 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- An official engagement photo released by Kensington Palace of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taken by Alexi Lubomirski earlier this week at Frogmore House, Windsor. Windsor, United Kingdom – Thursday December 21, 2017. USE AFTER 31/05/2018 must be cleared by Kensington Palace. This photograph is for editorial use only. NO commercial use. NO use in calendars, books or supplements. Use on a cover, or for any other purpose, will require approval from Art Partner and the Kensington Palace Press Office. This photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified and must be used substantially uncropped. Copyright in the photographs is vested in Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. Publications are asked to credit the photograph to Alexi Lubomirski.
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
The fact that H and M wanted to physically keep away from Weeny and Keeny’s toxicity says a lot
Lamebridges want to take over Andrew’s house in Windsor, which is a massive house, that needs money to keep it up, since he paid off his lawsuit, he may be low on funds, unless he sells his Rolls Royce.
@Layla … O.M.G., ‘Weeny and Keeny’? I am SO stealing that. 🙂
Those engagement photos seem like a
Million years ago 😭😭😭
And the criticism of her “expensive designer clothes” started on Day 1. If only they knew what other unfounded vitriol was coming their way.
Wait just a dang minute.
They put the black princess in the servants quarters?!?!
I’m DONE. Harry –
Spit on their names and never return
Indeed they DID! Also, from what I understand, there’s a graveyard in back.
Y’all it is a 10 bedroom mansion with 35 acres and a separate guest house. Not a dilapidated slave shack. Come on.
@Eliza, are you thinking of Frogmore House? M & H had Frogmore Cottage which is much smaller. Even the most anti Sussex press have never suggested it’s more than 5 bedrooms (or 4 bedrooms and a nursery). It’s not a mansion at all.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a shack but when you compare it to what Edward, Anne and Andrew got (I’m ignoring Charles and William because they are the heirs), it *is* basically servant quarters.
Queen Victoria’s secretary lived there and a Russian poor relation fleeing the Revolution was stashed there in the 20s. It’s for poor relations and upper staff not for Royals.
Also there definitely isn’t any guest house attached and there’s no real land. Don’t forget there was all that fuss about moving a staff car park because it overlooked the Cottage.
To be fair, the crown did intend for Apartment 1 at KP to be the Sussexes’ home. The Sussexes, rightly, decided that they didn’t want to live there. If you read the Sussexes website, they stated that they took the first place available. I think the reason why the lease was so short is because I don’t think the crown initially didn’t think that they would be staying there long term.
I think that’s twisting it a bit. Nottingham Cottage would have been “servants” accommodation at one point too but was repurposed and there are graveyards everywhere. It’s not like the UK is huge and you can put them all a good distance from people’s homes. By that Logic, Sandringham house has one next to its front lawn and Windsor Castle is attached to one.
Popsicle is right, it was a rush job because they didn’t want to live at Kensington Palace. They might have a lot of property but much of it is already leased out or it’s going to be dilapidated.
OMG Layla!!! That is a brilliant title for those despicable TWO!!I am going to steal it as well, if you don’t mind!!!
That engagement is so gorgeous
I know!!!! I adore both of them immensely!!! They have proven themselves to be the most empathetic, dynamic, caring, brilliant and strong couple with such love for each other and love to those around them! They are certainly couple goals!!
I also love the fact that they are allowing Eugenie and Jack to live there as well! It’s the perfect size for their little family!!
I am so interested in this story. Along with the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust partnership with BetterUp, my tin foil tiara is sensing some kind of rapprochement between the RF and Harry. Perhaps the proposed “slimmed down” monarchy is too slim? I’m curious to see what happens with Harry’s bid for private security – another piece of the puzzle.
Better Up is donating services to QCT, so it’s up on their Website.
Remember Harry and Meghan were stripped of this patronage, I think they both like the QCT but I don’t see them getting attach to any patronages through the BRF.
It’s not Harry’s or Meghan’s fault that the BRF cut off their nose to spite their face. Now with the lazy Lamebridges senior citizens C & C, oops forgot the forgotten son and wife.
@Jan … isn’t BetterUp the company where Harry is CIO?
Like @Eurydice I, too, feel something is happening behind the scenes with the Sussexes and the Queen (and perhaps Charles) to pull them slightly back in as working Royals in a minor role. Everyone has witnessed their skills as ambassadors of good will.
The Guardian has an article about the “glowing review” of BetterUp the Queen’s Trust has posted on their site. It really sounds like there are more connections behind the scenes than we’ve been led to believe.
Story is a smokescreen for the one that appeared in The Guardian, Shout, that the Keens gave lots of money and are patron sold callers info. Imagine calling for mental health services and having your details sold for profit.
Isn’t that supposedly what CarolE does with customers’ info from Party Pieces? Kate getting business advice from mama C?
The keens gave money? From their foundation? Lol, I’m assuming they did not give their own money cuz I’d be shocked.
@ Jais, if the Keens gave £££, I would suspect that Weeny and Keeny both had strokes…..
What’s “a lot of money?” Are we talking 3 coat dresses or 4 sister wife dresses? Or is it measured more in wiglets and fillers?
I don’t believe it as sold for profit, but was provided to Imperial College for research purposes. The scandal is whether the users gave proper consent / understood their info was being used for research purposes, especially if they are calling in a time of crisis.
There is no way on god’s green earth that H&M will evah! allow themselves to come under the jurisdiction of the Firm.
M said categorically that the one mistake…the one regret she has, was trusting them in the first place.
Moreover, now that she is free of the capricious restrictions on the Firm, there is no way on god’s green earth that she would ever go back to that mess. M’s outlook is American and global and the Firm cannot accommodate that.
H said in 2021, that his only regret was not leaving 4 years prior.
H has also said in the recent past that he has a lot he wanted to do while the spotlight was on the Sussexes before the lamebridge kids got older and became the new shiny things.
H said he has seen behind the curtain of the BRF operation and he WANTS NO PART OF IT. He also said, he KNOWS that they (the BRF & the britshidtpress) wouldnt stop harassing his wife UNTIL SHE DIES. And btw, he was being quite literal.
H also knows and can see the cautionary tales in real time, of the inevitable way in which the life of the “spare” devolves into pathetic, virtual nothingness (and on the edge of destitution) as the heirs came closer to the throne. Exhibits: Margaret. Andrew. Edward.
So, I repeat, there is no way on god’s green earth that H would subject his wife & kids to the machination of the BRF and britshidtmedia.
I agree with you on them not EVER being under the Firms control again. They’d be crazy to do that. That doesn’t count out Harry convincing BetterUP to donate service to the QCT. Both H&M have claimed they’d countinue to support the patronages in a privat capacity. I doubt Chaz knew. I’m picturing him and the Cams being furious about this right now, while the queen is happily talking to the Montecito children on her secret phone.
I must be on something because I haven’t seen any moves by the royals that indicates the monarchy is too slim or they are trying to make peace with Harry. The RF has been attacking him daily. They denied him security very recently. Camilla’s mouthpieces have been going off on Meg since she was named queen consort. If anything, the relationship seems to be worse than it was before.
Better Up announced donating coaching hours to QCT young leaders back in December as part of a rollout of company community initiatives. so it’s interesting this partnership is only coming up as a story now with this odd angle that even the guardian is pushing claiming that a QCT testimonial about better up on its website is meant to be advertising gold. The desperation for a nasty angle.
Harry & Meghan said they wanted to support their charities so I assume the link up with QCT was in aide of that rather than thawing in issues between them & the firm. They also said back in 2020 they wanted to raise Archie appreciating both sides of his heritage which is possibly why they are keeping UK base.
Also there’s a story about QCT paying its directors/trustees a lot which they are linking to Harry & Meghan despite them being stripped of President & Vice President roles last year, Elizabeth being the patron & Boris Johnson’s aide Geidt being a trustee.
@Abritguest Yep, they’re trying to make it look like Harry is clout chasing by attaching himself to the queen because her brand is so influential or something. (Lol. He brand is in the gutter right now) Most of the money that the QCT brought in was used to pay the high level administrative staff, so it’s more financial shenanigans from the royals and their charities that they are once again trying to link to H&M. From Charles being investigated, to the Keens selling peoples’ data, and now the queen’s charity doing almost nothing for the participants, the royals so-called charitable value is looking non-existent, so they are trying to drag H&M into the mud as well. The glowing review for BetterUp is them trying to link the financial mismanagement to Harry so he can look shady too in my opinion.
Yes, I’m not saying that Harry will go back to the RF, just that these are signs that Harry isn’t turning his back on the UK and “going Hollywood” as the tabloids say. BetterUp wouldn’t be involved with the Queen’s Trust without Harry’s involvement, and of course the Queen and the RF would know about it. The same with renewing the lease. My point is that there hasn’t been the radio silence the tabloids (and William) have wanted to portray. This is the first time I’ve seen something so positive written in connection with Harry in quite a while and it had to have been with the approval of the RF.
@ABritguest, Yes. It was announced almost exactly a year ago today, (+/-?) a day or 2, that H & M were no longer President/Vice President. I’m sure that fact just slipped one of the Dick’s mind. /s
@Euryduce SAME! I am so interested in all things Frogmore and my tinfoil tiara is firmly in place. We always knew that this was a 3-year lease and was up in March but why the secrecy about the current status of the home (empty/occupied by family members)? Why is the rota not briefed on who currently lives there?
As Harry’s leaving the UK was unprecedented and there appear to be many constitutional monarchy-kinds of issues raised by all of it and HM Treasury (where Jason Knauf and Christian Jones worked prior to working for the Cambridges) is in the middle of all of this: someone needs to start addressing all of the legal aspects to his living in the UK. His status isn’t gossip, it is news.
Also, the Telegraph running this story while the headlines are about the Queen having COVID and Russia invading Ukraine (while the UK has no international role to play anymore) is interesting.
My go-to source of info on Frogmore: https://sussexroyal.com/funding/
I’m assuming staying in Frogmore Cottage comes with some built in security since it’s adjacent to the Queen.
I wonder if he would renew once the Queen dies. I hope Eugenie and Jack are saving their money. Maybe they are expecting a nice little inheritance when the Queen dies. Then they can dip.
I was thinking the same, security, closeness to the queen and domicile in the UK. I’m sure they’ll keep the lease as long as the queen lives, but after that? Ehh…
Yup, once TQ is gone, all bets are off! Harry and Meghan need to lock in a much longer lease especially since Chaz is coming into his position soon. In regards to their initial lease, that was down and dirty what TQ did with regards to the term. What a petty Betty she is!!!
@BothSides That Queen knows how to give a wedding “gift” that ends up costing her nothing but the recipients have to pay for. What a present.
I’ll never understand all the nonsense regarding the renovations this place. No one said a word with Will and Kate spent millions on Kensington Palace. And apparently Edwards renovations for his place cost the crown estate a fortune back in the day
@AJ … Agreed. No one said a word when William and Kate spent millions renovating Anmer Hall, either. And I’m so tired of hearing about how Harry and Meghan had Windsor staff employees at Frogmore evicted so they could live there, instead of moving somewhere else. The Queen gifted them Frogrmore, they certainly didn’t select it themselves.
Does lease have a different meaning in the UK ? So Andrew and Edward pay annually or have paid for 75 and 150 years respectively.
I wish H & M would just get a nice place of their own in Knightsbridge or Belgravia or something.
If I remember correctly it is a certain price for 75 years.. let’s say £100,000 for 75 years, not a monthly or yearly rent payment. I read that PA Royal lodge lease is paid in full so if that is all true giving up the lease will never happen and it can be passed down to his children/grandchildren. If I’m wrong could someone more knowledgeable than a few articles update me? Seems this is all just another way to punish PH.
You’re correct @Cessily. PA (the queen) paid for renovations of the Royal lodge + £1 mill as lease payment. There’s something in the agreement about how much it costs to pay him out of the lease if he choses to end it before 25 years have past. There’s apparently nothing in the agreement about sub-letting though, so that might be a way for the Cams to get a hold of the lodge if PA is strapped for cash.
It actually does. We have something called ‘leasehold’ as a means of property ownership. All apartments are owned that way because you can’t (at least historically) have freehold ownership of an apartment. Therefore, a ‘long lease’ of usually around 125 or 999 years is granted and for that time period you can mostly treat the property as yours (major renovations / demolition requires the consent of the freeholder). Generally a nominal ground rent of maybe £100 a year is paid.
We also have a rental market where a lease is for 6 months to a year and the goes month to month after that where a market rent is paid.
I think most people assumed H&M got Frogmore on a long lease similar to that of Andrew and Edward. It may be that they didn’t because he was meant to get another property when Charles became King. I think Clarence House was mentioned but I’m fairly sure that was just speculation.
@Talla … I seem to recall talk about Charles wanting to Gift Clarence House to Harry as a permanent residence once he becomes King. Could you imagine the British media’s reaction?
Also, while most people buy the leasehold ownership, the Royal Estates (i.e. the Queen) gifted the leaseholds of these two properties to Andrew and Edward. The market value would be tens of millions of pounds. The house given to Andrew and Fergie originally was not part of the Crown Estates so they owned the freehold and could sell it.
I don’t know if Anmer Hall is on the same basis. It might not be since William will inherit the lot some day.
This means Andrew was gifted a mansion, sold that mansion for millions and was then gifted a lease on a Royal property worth almost as much. Add in the money to Virginia G and the incidentals (I doubt Andrew is paying for the staff needed) and it can be seen Andrew is costing the RF a fortune.
Sadly I don’t think Andrew is costing the Royal Family a fortune. I think he’s costing the British taxpayer a fortune. The Queen is notoriously stingy in weird ways – like only having one bar on a three bar heater. Wherever possible she will use public money rather than her own. The nonsense over the Buckingham Palace refurbishments being the latest example.
Charles cannot gift Clarence House (or Highgrove House for that matter) because he doesn’t own either of them. Currently the govt allows Charles to use Clarence House as his London residence. Once he is king, he will be forced to live at BP just like other monarchs had to do. Windsor Castle will become his ‘country home’ as he has to vacate Highgrove House as he’ll no longer be Duke of Cornwall. Clarence House is an albatross, too large, and in need of 80 million in repairs *for one side of the building alone*. They haven’t assessed how much work needs to be done on the other three exteriors.
Talia, the Crown Estate did not ‘gift’ the leases to Andrew or Edward. They both paid millions up front for refurbishment and leases.
It seems to me Prince Harry is determined to maintain his birthright. Probably not only for himself but for his children. Now while I think that birthright is garbage, I admire him for being unwilling to be written out of the narrative completely. He is controlling his story.
+1
This is exactly it. He is maintaining his birthright on his own terms.
Rmbr, in the MYCS docu, H said he was told categorically by the BRF that he and Meghan COULD. NOT. LEAVE. That it has never been done. The BRF is in uncharted waters where H&M’s actions are concerned. H&M are writing their own history. So everyone, incl the BRF, H&M and the UK, have to wait and see what H&M do and react to it – NOT dictate it.
Possibly a lot has to do as a favor to Eugenie and having her live there and none of the others have access to share anything.
Yes…potentially this helps Eugenie & Jack — then they can’t be kicked out until they’re ready to move on to something else? And $2.5mil or whatever it is they paid is a lot….so might just be a smart move in their minds to hold on to their investment for a while longer. Regardless, I know H&M have their (good) reasons for this.
I know some fans are going to be annoyed at this but it makes sense for a few reasons: a) Harry has a permanent address in the UK which may be beneficial for counsellor of state things as well as tax purposes (maybe) b) it shows the Home Office that both H&M are committed to trips to the UK because they’re paying for a place there therefore security will be needed c) E&J get to stay there, rent free (I am assuming) whereas they would have to pay for a lease (which they may or may not be able to afford) and d) It’s on Crown Estate which means there’s already security for it. Buying another property means spending their own money securing it, which will rack up cost wise as they will need year round protection for it. That’s not cheap and it’s an extra cost on top of buying/maintaining the actual house.
Agreed. Harry and Meghan paid for the renovations for Frogmore, why should they find a new place and potentially have to pay to fix it up etc? Frogmore works for them as a UK base for several reasons so renewing the lease makes sense.
I don’t know why people are making a big deal about this. If I had to pay million in renovations I certainly would want to get as much use out of it as possible. Besides since Harry and Meghan will make at least a few trips a year it makes since to have a property to stay at. Not to mention not having to go through the hassle of finding a new place. I also think the Counselor position is meaning less. The odds of it being enforced is practically nil. Just a way for the tabloids to claim Harry desperately wants to be a part of the Royal family.
Agreed, I know a lot of people on here don’t want to see them set foot back in the UK but I don’t think they feel that way. I believe they want to spend the majority of their time in the US and out of reach as much as possible from the British tabloids but I don’t think they want to cut ties. Having a home in the UK too and being able to stay there freely seems to be their aim. They’ve invested a lot in it and as Sophia pointed out, it comes with the added benefit of security already in place.
And continuing to lease with E there means nobody else has access to leak pix to the media.
This makes so much sense to me.
I agree with all of this. I know folks would love to see H&M totally cut ties but they are both smart people — they have perfectly good reasons for this move, all of the ones you mentioned making perfect sense.
I agree this makes sense for H + M,as well as Eugenie and her family. I also think they may be taking a cue from the Sussex’s and thinking about moving to the States.Once Q2 is gone,the inner royals will totally get rid of the outer royals.
Frankly, I hope Harry keeps leasing it through Bitter Brother’s tenure once Chaz dies. Imagine how it will burn BB up to know that HARRY is his first in line Counsellor of State (until George is 18). It will cripple him thinking if he goes on a tour, Harry is “in charge” so to speak.
Their Christmas Card makes me so happy every time I see it. I have a son with wavy red hair and love seeing Harry’s happy gingers. (They would have been gorgeous with Meghan’s hair too, just love seeing the redhead genes come through for both of them.)
As for the lease renewal, I’m hopeful they maintain that so Eugenie has a safe place with everything going on over there, and they have a place to stay that doesn’t involve staying with/near his father or brother.
I am somewhat certain that Eugenie and Jack love living in this little piece of heaven! As for the renovations, I am certain that Harry and Meghan created a living and well thought out floor plan and exceptional updates as well as a fabulous kitchen, since Meghan loves to cook!!! Plus Eugenie isn’t far from her parents, since she is especially close to both of them as well as Jacks family too.
Look, they paid for the renovations. I stand with Harry and Meghan renewing the lease. That was no small investment!!
Harry, unlike his brother the Burger King, wouldn’t toss someone out of their home. The arrangement with Eugenie must be working well; Frogmore is there for H when he returns to the UK and he and Meghan know it is in good hands with Eugenie and Jack. I don’t think it has much to do with H hoping to return to a royal role.
While I admit that I had hoped that the Sussex’s would give up this lease and kinda give up going back to the UK for at least a few more years, I do respect that H&M will continue to make decisions based on what is best for them and their family.
I agree with you, they’re making decisions for them, we may not agree, but we have to respect their choice.
My guess is they have no intention of returning to the UK, but since they paid for it, they’re going to keep it.
I still can’t get over the fact that the newest daughter in law of the family, who’s coincidentally also biracial,gets a rundown servant quarters as a wedding gift. If Betty claims that Meghan and Harry are “beloved members of the firm”, now’s a good time to gift them a proper estate or a mini castle,heck a mansion could do.
If she can support two most unpopular members of the firm, give one a promotion and settle a criminal case for another, this is least she can do. We won’t even expect a statement of support after that.
I believe Harry is the only person in that family, well maybe also Eugene with a heart that actually works and blood running in their veins. The rest are just pure ice cold . Also Harry, Meghan, and their children are such a beautiful family.
+1
Why should they give it up, especially after spending so much on the renovations?
If they give up Frogmore Cottage then they get the renovation money they spent back. The longer they lease the house the less money they would get back.
While I’m not happy with them renewing the lease, I understand why they made that decision. Frogmore comes with access to security+it backs his claim to review that Home Office decision to get access for good intelligence so he can come visit lizzy! I just hate how the snakes at the palace will use this to sell/leak sh*t to BM & probably arrange visits by keenbridges when they hear about H or all of Sussexs coming for visit
They can try to “arrange visits”…doesn’t mean Harry has to be home to receive them! Plus Frogmore is Eugenie and Jack’s home when Harry is not there….W+K can’t just drop in whenever they want, esp since I suspect they aren’t going over there and hanging out with E+J.
Isn’t it quite telling how little Weeny and Keeny are to their respective families. Sure, Keeny is close to her parents but Weeny would rather cut off his arm than to spend time with the Spencer family members. What a waste Weeny and Keeny are!!! I don’t think Keeny spends any time with her sister anymore either, since she was able to secure what Keeny wanted.
I can see it now. Weeny’s (I love this new name) secretary calls Harry when he’s in the UK “Your brother will come round at 3 pm today.”
“Great!” Harry says and makes sure to not be there by 2:30.
Because I’m petty.
It makes sense to keep Frogmore for when he and Meghan visit. It’s on Royal property and they will have security and more privacy in Windsor than at a hotel or some other private estate.
I agree that having property on an estate with security already set up is something they wouldn’t want to give up at this time. Especially seeing how they don’t want him to pay for extra security when he leaves the premises.
Breaking free from abuse can take a very long time. In many ways, Harry’s relationship with his birth family resembles Stockholm Syndrome. I’m sure he loves his grandmother, and believes his grandmother loves him. I’m sure he’s disappointed in his father and brother, but still loves them and believes they love him, too. I hope one day he will realize that none of them love him, not like Meghan, not like his mother. Until then, I’m sure we’ll get a lot of these kinds of actions, where he clumsily tries to maintain a relationship which has always been one-sided. In the meantime, I also hope Meghan has a lot of support, because every time Harry extends an olive branch to the UK, his family and the British press snatch it away and use it to pummel Meghan. She should not have to suffer for his naive wish to be close to people who despise him and wish his wife and children dead.
@teecee
I’m sure that the strategic decisions Prince Harry makes about his life are waaaaaaay beyond the comprehension of any armchair psychologist, of which the internet is FULL.
You’re on a gossip site, honey. We are all interpreting from what we read.
Also if Harry is thinking through this, then he’s deliberately harming Meghan. And I’m not for white men putting their black wives and children through hell to appease their racist white relatives. If this is his strategy, he’s part of the problem.
Harry isn’t “clumsily trying to maintain a one-sided relationship”, if anything he’s made a very smart decision by renewing the lease. First, it allows him a secure place to stay when he has to visit the UK. There is the upcoming Jubilee, but his grandmother could pass at any time which would require him to spend time there for the funeral and other family matters like his father’s accession to the crown. Second, it allows him to remain a Councilor of State, which I’m sure is very important to him. He is, after all, a British citizen and member of the royal family, and it would behoove him to keep a hand in certain duties.
He will relinquish his British citizenship the second George turns 18 (or whenever the threat of Andrew is gone and the Liz is dead.)
Yes, there was a glorious moment this week where three of the four counsellors of state were MIA. Charles had Covid, Wills was abroad and Andrew was in disgrace. Then the Queen gets Covid and there was a very real possibility that Harry might have been the only one left to step in for her. THAT would have made me laugh. Their beloved protocol bringing about something they would hate – because Harry would, of course, been brilliant at whatever it was he had to cover.
Unfortunately it didn’t happen this time but a UK base with supplied security and privacy makes perfect sense.
@Teecee that would be a foolish thing to do.
@Teecee — First, don’t “honey” any of us. Talking down to rational commenters is rude. Second, Harry is not part of the problem by putting Meghan in harm’s way. He’s not some “white man putting his bi-racial wife and kids through hell to appease his white relatives”. Utter nonsense. Third, he’s not going to relinquish his citizenship when George turns 18, it’s clearly important to him that he keep ties to his charities, friends and those family members he still respects and loves. End of.
I don’t believe Harry would make a financial decision like that without input and agreement from his wife. They’ve stated themselves they are a team and will face things together. I feel it’s patronizing of you to believe the biracial wife has no say in her family and family finances.
Yeah, this. So much this.
Exactly. The two of them are cohesive in their decision making. It does seem patronizing to say Meghan doesn’t have a voice in this. I’m confident she does.
Granted I haven’t seen the inside of Frogmore Cottage, my personal tastes lean in that direction. Prefer it over most of the others.
Exactly! This comment totally screams deranger vibes and an unhealthy fixation on how Meghan has no agency over herself, Harry is an idiot, naive and has “stockholme syndrome”. Gross. Can’t believe there are people like this purporting to be Meghan fans when all they do is repeat tabloid narratives and judge H&M negatively.
Woah, your comment is total deranger vibes. You’re just furthering the trashloids narrative of H having ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. I also sense the passive aggressiveness in your comment against Harry. The thing is, Harry and Meghan know what they’re doing. They are a married couple with a family. Not some ‘ white men putting their black wives and children through hell to appease their racist white relatives’. That is just straight up RUDE against BOTH Harry and Meghan. Meghan has the ability to make decisions for herself too you know. You saying this is as good as saying Meghan is totally submissive, and has no agency over herself. And at the end of the day, family relationships are more complicated than we think. Again – you saying “because every time Harry extends an olive branch to the UK, his family and the British press snatch it away and use it to pummel Meghan. She should not have to suffer for his naive wish..” is disgusting. The British media will trash the Sussexes NO MATTER WHAT. Get used to it. But Harry AND Meghan know what they’re doing. The “olive branch” narratives are bullshit. I can only suggest for you to stop reading the trashloids. Harry and Meghan are doing just fine with their family. Outsiders criticizing them in this manner is not helpful for them at all.
I don’t understand this. Harry and Meghan are a huge success in America away from the toxic royals. He needs to sever all ties completely. He doesn’t need them. He has no need to visit the UK with his family and subject them to more racism. SMH about this.
Why should Harry cut ties with where hes from, where some of his charities are based, where he still has friends & family outside of the Windsors, where his mother is buried & country that he went to war for? I think I read Meghan’s best friend lives in London & she has charities there too.
They paid a lot of money for Frogmore & it’s in a secured area so why not get use of it.
If they can arrange to be in the UK safely I think it’s only giving the royal family & other bigots what they want if they are forced to stay away
But they can’t be safe there. The royals will never give them security. Harry’s friends and family were ALL racist to Meghan. He had to cut them out of his life for her. He needs to make a clean break and never return. It’s not safe for them physically or mentally. Harry has said he gets PTSD flying into London. Quit hanging onto that old life full of toxic people.
Re security we’ll have to see. I don’t think Harry is playing around with this piecemeal protection & has made clear his family’s safety is paramount. Charles has to know it won’t look good if his family looks so fractured with his youngest not able to come to Britain as he prepares for the throne/ when he is crowned. So we’ll see what happens there.
We haven’t heard that Harry’s Spencers relatives had an issue with Meghan except for maybe Earl Spencer who William allegedly recruited to tell Harry to slow down.
Harry definitely didn’t cut out all his friends due to Meghan. When Harry got engaged Tom Bradby said that some of his friends had urged him to propose. At that polo event after Archie was born, one of Harry’s friends was pretty much only one talking to Meghan despite her in laws being there. So don’t think all of his friends had a problem with her.
And as I said Meghan has her own friends in the UK & I think some of Archie’s godparents live in the uk. They also talked about one of Diana’s friends helping Meghan during Oprah. So there are plenty of non toxic people they may want to connect with in Britain as well as the fact it’s his mother’s resting place. And given Invictus is a British charity, what if they want to stage it there again one day?
So there are plenty of reasons to want to ensure security and a base to visit UK again if they felt up to it.
The UK is still Harry’s homeland. Harry and Meghan stated they wanted to countinue support of the charities they were working with in the UK. It’s not just the family. Although the rota makes it sound like everyone in the UK hates them, I’ll bet if you’d ask most young brits who their favorite royals are, the answer won’t be the Cams.
Harry and Meghan have been supporting their charities in the UK ever since they left. They can do this from California. It’s not safe for their mental health to be in the UK.
@Freaky Lizard, isn’t it for Harry & Meghan to determine what is or isn’t safe for their mental health? That is something they’ve both been actively been involved in and working on. They know better than the rest of us. Not going back ever gives too much power to those that bullied, smeared them, ran them out and used them as scapegoats.imo
Agree. They are not as disliked or hated as the rotas/BM want people to believe. They’ve been selling it too hard and for too long for it to be believable.
Outsiders like you criticizing them cannot be called their ‘supporters’ in the very least. You’re so disrespectful to both Harry and Meghan. They make their own decisions. PeriodT.
The renewal story is a misleading exaggeration. When the arrangements for Frogmore were announced it was stated that it would remain their home in the UK. The original financial arrangement gave them 10 years to pay back the costs of renovations. The Sussexes shocked the tabs and the trolls by paying it off in one lump sump and by paying in advance the rental/leasing cost through March 2022. That didn’t mean the lease ended then. I think they made such large initial payments to prevent the tabs from making Frogmore a constant story. Which has mainly been true. The only legit story since they made the payment was when Eugenie moved in. It has only been the tabloids who have maintained this narrative that there is going to be some sort of change. So apparently the Sussexes made another lump sum payment to continue the current arrangement. Hence their statements that there are no planned changes to current arrangements. This doesn’t represent a dramatic new circumstance. The Sussexes from the beginning have made it clear that they plan to visit, work and maintain ties to the UK.
If we’re witnessing some hints of “thawing” relationships between Harry and his awful relatives, I think it’s because RF wants to neutralize his memoir. The reason – to influence him, so he won’t include too many reveleations in his memoir, and to influence the public – the illusion of closeness, of family will work against any criticism he’ll put in writing.
I will never claim to understand his choices but I hope he truly knows non of his family members give a sh*it about him and his family. I truly feel sorry for Meghan, you couldn’t pay me to be involved in all this.
It’s pretty clear they BOTH (yes, both) want to go back for private visits and not the RF. He has his mothers side
( that he is close with) friends, charities, etc. Meghan DOES have friends in the UK, charities and I’m sure would love to visit the Hubb ladies as well. People act like Harry is purposely putting his families life in danger by going and that’s not it. Please don’t think Meghan has zero say in this. They have said many times they work as a team and I have no reason to question that. If they go back for private visits, none of us would even know. People project their own feeling onto these two way too much. They know what they’ are doing.
@Ginger, I agree with your sentiments!
+1million. I’m getting tired of seeing stans claiming to act in Meghan’s best interests, but then imply that she has no say in anything and that Harry is dumb. That is just straight up deranger vibes. Learn to respect their decisions and stop reading the trashloids for once!
So, the Cambridges get to renovate residences, moving from here to there, and no one says anything? They’ve probably spent a LOT more money on this than the Sussexes. Also, honestly, NO should be spending a nickel of public money helping out Andrew with expenses at this point.
My understanding was that Frogmore Cottage was in such bad shape that it was scheduled to be renovated BEFORE the wedding date was even announced. As it was assumed that because it was becoming uninhabitable, that it would be restored to a single family home so that the Queen could offer it to Harry as a wedding gift. How on earth this turned into ” Harry needs to pay ” is beyond me.
H&M have been consistent. What they said on their Sussex royal page still remains true today. They are also a lot kinder, compassionate and forgiving then I would be lol.
if you look at their mission statements, the people they speak about/ work with (brene brown, Adam grant, etc) it’s all consistent. It’s all about healing, inner work, mental health, peace and love etc.
So if you really LISTEN to them then renewing their lease isn’t a surprise and neither will it surprise me if they show up for the jubilee, or go see friends/ family and supporting charities in the Uk.
We don’t know what agreements they’ve made with Eugenie.
They also probably aren’t reading royal gossip everyday or worried about royal reporters and what they’re saying about them.
Stop projecting your feelings on them. You do not control them.
They know what’s best for their life.
Stop letting what royal reporters “could” say or what that family “could do” ruin your enjoyment of just being a fan of H&M.
And no their brand won’t be damaged if they do visit and who cares how the royal reporters will twist it. H&M will be fine.
the freaking “tinder swindler” has millions of followers on IG.
Kanye west seems to be getting more popular for harassing Kim. There really is no ruining a brand in 2022 unless it’s assault/abuse and even then some of those people still get support.
Harry is British by birth and a blood prince. He grew up and was educated there. His lawyer says that the UK will always be his home. Harry has other reasons than his family to visit the UK. He established his charities there; he has friends and family; he no doubt has business interests there. I don’t think people should expect Harry to be stateless, and I can’t see him ever becoming an American citizen. Besides, his children are half British. Because of the BM and his wretched family, Harry will probably always have to have a foot in both US and UK. I imagaine that the Sussex kids will be raised and educated in the US. I can’t see that it would be safe for them to ever go to school in the UK. So, probably no Eton for Archie. Hope he goes to Stanford. His parents seem to have connections there already. Although, far far into the future when his children are grown and are blessed with children of their own, he might return to the UK in his old age. Hopefully, things will be better then.
Family affairs are complicated issues, and unless you’re an integral part of the family, you can’t really be an evaluator of the ongoings. On the outside, looking in is easier said than done. The most potent interview Harry and Meghan has given is the engagement interview. They clearly said we are a team, and anything we do, we do as a team as long as it doesn’t affect our relationship – case closed. Harry has been paraded as the dunce for so long that people tend to believe it. However, his accomplishments and influences on the global stage speak volumes.
Why are they only unsafe in the UK?
ETA: yes it’s a legitimate question . He is still Royalty, still a Veteran and still a “high value target “ for terrorists which are all good examples, but he is all of those things every day.
They’re at much higher risk in the UK because it’s illegal for Harry’s personal security team to carry firearms there, his team is being excluded from any police & govt intelligence on threats to him & his family, and he’s not allowed access to any other official information or resources to monitor threats (databases, camera networks, tech specialists, etc that police & MI5 etc have access to). Only UK police & specific high level protection officials are permitted firearms over there and Harry’s team is specifically being shut out of all safety resources normally provided to Royals. He’s only allowed to have unarmed bodyguards who aren’t allowed to coordinate with police and don’t get told any info they have on things that might threaten Harry or his family. It’s a BIG problem.
@Wendy, I don’t know that they are ‘only unsafe’ in the UK. They seem to be pretty safe in the US with their security protection and US media leaving them alone. The BM was a huge factor with them needing to step down as working royals (along with evil machinations in the BRF/Firm system). The BM’s propaganda inciting hate on a daily basis towards Meghan contributes to the existing racist attitudes some whacked out citizens have. If members of the BM/rota are willing to write nonsensical articles about H & M about lawn watering, smells from a bird sanctuary 5 miles away, imagined real estate stories, blah, blah…from thousands of miles away, just to have something to write about, I don’t even want to imagine what kind of chasing would be done to them when/if they’re there.
Like you said, he is ‘all those things everyday’. The level of threat status to him and his family hasn’t changed.
I think it’s very kind of the Sussexes to allow Eugenie and her family to live in their U.K. home when they are in the U.S., and very sensible, too, as it’s better to have the home occupied and put to well use than standing empty and needing to be guarded or managed by professional staff. Harry has already gone back and (from all accounts) stayed in his home, with his closest cousin — far better an arrangement than checking into some hotel, or at least it clearly is in Harry’s view.
A three year lease is extremely petty and backs up those nasty rumors about the staff calling her a degree wife that would only last 3 years in the marriage.
I hope the Sussex tormentors rue the day they bullied these two out of the country. May all their energy come back at them ten fold.