By royal biographer Emily Andrews
‘THE TIMING SUGGESTS THAT THIS IS THE KING’S REVENGE’
Gosh! I confess I was not expecting that… It’s now been revealed that within just a few days of the publication of Harry’s autobiography Spare, King Charles told the Sussexes that he was evicting them from Frogmore Cottage.
It was a wedding gift from the Queen and even after Megxit, the couple kept it on as their UK base, repaying that £2.4 million sum they spent on the property’s renovation.
But now, despite them wanting to keep the house, which sits within the private and secure Windsor Castle estate (or ‘Granny’s back garden’ as Harry used to call it), Charles wants to give it to Prince Andrew.
It’s all part of Charles’ cost-cutting drive. But I was surprised that after weeks of Buckingham Palace repeating ‘no comment’ after revelation upon revelation in Harry’s book, and assurances that he is still a ‘much loved son’, behind the scenes it seemed to be a different story.
Crisis talks were held between the King and Prince William with the result appearing to be that Harry and Meghan were given their marching orders.
Although Charles does still want the Sussexes to come to the coronation, and they have the olive branch offer of the use of Frogmore Cottage until June, it does look as if the King is demolishing rather than building bridges with his second son.
Many will perhaps view this as a righteous act by a strong king, drawing a line after months (if not years now) of attacks on his family and his institution. But not only does this effectively banish Harry and Meghan from the UK (the protected Windsor estate is the only place that Harry feels his family are safe), it also entrenches their sense of victimhood.
It allows them to continue to use the ‘woe is me’ narrative – that the family and the courtiers are terribly mean to them and punish them at every turn.
The timing suggests that this is the King’s revenge and despite the public PR niceties, he felt he had to act as monarch.
And it’s a move that could backfire.
Yes, it’s thought Meghan was aghast at ‘small’ Nottingham Cottage, in the grounds of Kensington Palace, that she was reportedly ‘surprised’ and ‘disappointed’ with how ‘little’ money Harry had, and that she is originally thou
