When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their royal duties and left their UK life behind, they also kissed £2.4 million goodbye.
According to The Sun, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex tapped into the Crown Estate to remodel their Frogmore Cottage, but they fully repaid that sum after stepping down from royal duties in 2020.
The Grade-II listed home near Windsor Castle was a gift from the late Queen, but not in the traditional sense.
“Frogmore Cottage was never actually owned by Harry and Meghan,” Terry Fisher from We Buy Any Home explained. “It was gifted to them for use… but they didn’t have legal ownership — which means the final say over what happens to it has always rested with the monarch.”
Despite investing in upgrades like an eco-boiler for low-carbon heating and extensive interior changes, the couple walked away with no claim to the property.
“It’s more like an extended loan — and when that time ends, it’s returned to the Crown,” Fisher added.
Frogmore holds sentimental value for the couple; it was their first marital home and where baby Archie spent his early months. Fans even saw glimpses of it in their Netflix docuseries, including sweet family moments like Archie’s bathtime.
But legally speaking, Fisher said, “The rules around royal homes are very different to those in everyday property ownership.”
And in this case, the Sussexes’ million-pound investment was just part of the price of moving on.
