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Prince William and Princess Kate may be moving into a new royal property, but it’s unlikely to be Meghan and Harry’s former residence of Frogmore Cottage. It is said that Princess Kate is unlikely to move into any location that was designed or renovated by neither Meghan Markle nor with input from Prince William, who will one day be king.
While the new Prince and Princess of Wales will certainly need a family home of their own as William and Harry’s responsibilities increase, Frogmore Cottage is seen as unacceptable for several key reasons. To begin with, Meghan Markle oversaw a costly renovation of the cottage in 2018 shortly before her wedding to Harry. The building work was privately funded by the royal family but came under public scrutiny given its estimated £2.4 million price tag.
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More significantly, Meghan made strong design choices throughout the property that would not align with Kate’s own taste or needs for raising her family. From the building layout to the interior decorating styles, Frogmore Cottage very much bears Meghan’s fingerprints and vision for the space she shared with Harry. It is simply not a home that Kate would want to move her young family into, according to experts, essentially “inheriting” someone else’s design choices.
As the future Queen Consort, Kate will want any future residence of hers and William’s to feel tailored specifically to their family’s long term needs as well as reflective of their own aesthetic preferences. Moving into Frogmore Cottage would not accomplish this. Additionally, there remains underlying tension between the two royal families since Harry and Meghan’s bombshell exit from Britain. Kate is said to want to avoid any association with the designs or spaces particularly aligned to the Sussexes now living abroad in California.
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Another key factor is that King Charles is reportedly eager to make changes to the royal properties and who resides where as he takes over management of the Crown Estate. This brings the issue of the Royal Lodge into question, where Prince Andrew has lived for nearly 20 years but over which the Duke of York has no ownership rights.
Andrew retains occupation of the 30-room mansion, left to him in 2002 when the Queen Mother died. However, it is widely speculated that King Charles wants his scandal-ridden brother out of the property. Given Andrew’s tainted reputation and the fact his security detail was removed earlier this year indicating a change in status, the newly-instated monarch is thought to want Andrew gone from Royal Lodge to open it up.
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This leads experts to conclude that William and Kate are far more likely to eventually move their family to the Royal Lodge instead of Frogmore Cottage, once Andrew vacates the premises as expected. The spacious property would be a fitting new home base for the future king and his family, as they take on more senior roles and responsibilities within ‘The Firm’. It has been noted that Kate and William share a warm bond with King Charles, putting them in a stronger position to inherit Royal Lodge over Frogmore, which remains associated with Harry and Meghan.
Royal correspondent and expert Rhiannon Mills had this to say on the matter: “While Frogmore Cottage is currently vacant, it seems highly unlikely that the new Prince and Princess of Wales would want to move into a residence so closely tied to Harry and Meghan. Kate will want her own space designed specifically for her family’s needs. And as Charles pushes forward changes within the monarchy, moving Andrew on from Royal Lodge opens up an ideal family home for the heir to the throne.”
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Currently William and Kate split their time between their residence of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor and their Kensington Palace apartment in London. But as their roles evolve and their children grow, a permanent country base will be required. All signs point to the idyllic 30-room Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park as their best option, rather than inheriting the Sussexes’ Frogmore home which remains filled with memories and designs from Harry and Meghan’s short occupancy. Only time will tell exactly how King Charles’ plans for the royal properties play out. But on the issue of Frogmore Cottage, it seems Kate and William have no interest in taking it on as their new home.
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