Plans are reportedly in motion to undo the roughly $3 million renovation of Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor home where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lived after Queen Elizabeth gave it to them as a wedding present. The reported move would reverse the makeover at the former royal residence just as the house sits empty and the couple remains long gone.
The renewed interest in Frogmore Cottage lands now because the property has been vacant for three years, and because Harry and Meghan repaid the full renovation bill in 2020 after stepping back as senior royals and moving to California. The Sussexes had called the cottage home from April 2019 until March 2020, following their 2018 wedding, and the renovation work had been funded at first by the Sovereign Grant, the taxpayer-backed fund used for the royal family's official duties.
That history is part of why the reported plan has drawn attention. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward said Frogmore was “pretty dilapidated” when the couple inherited it, and the refurbishment included upgrades to the heating, electrical, gas and water main systems, along with a redesign that took about six months. In other words, this was not a cosmetic touch-up but a major overhaul of a property the couple briefly occupied before leaving it behind.
The friction comes from the fact that the money has already been paid back. Even so, a source said the cottage has been empty for three years and added that “even former Prince Andrew thought it wasn't good enough for him to move in,” a line that underlines how difficult the property has been to repurpose. Another insider suggested that removing any trace of Harry and Meghan could help return Frogmore to its pre-Sussex era and make it attractive to someone else inside the royal household.
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich said there is no reason to preserve anything from the Sussex chapter and argued that, in its original form, Frogmore could be repurposed for future use while remaining flexible. She said the reported move “clearly signals that once someone departs from duty, there are permanent consequences,” and added that the royals act deliberately. Buckingham Palace has not commented, leaving the key question open: whether the plans will actually be carried out, and whether Frogmore Cottage will be restored for a new occupant or simply left as another blank space in the royal family’s recent history.
