(CNN) — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, the couple’s official UK residence, their spokesman told CNN on Wednesday.
“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have received a request to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” the spokesman said.
The statement came after Britain’s The Sun newspaper published an article saying the couple were to be evicted from the residence, which belongs to the Crown Estate and has since been offered to Prince Andrew, one of King Charles III’s brothers.
Buckingham Palace said Wednesday it would not comment. A royal source told CNN that any such discussion is a private family matter.
General view of the exterior of Frogmore Cottage. (Credit: Leon Neal/Getty Images/File)
Prince Harry and Meghan currently reside in the United States but have retained this early 19th-century estate as their UK headquarters. Gifted to the Sussexes by the late Queen Elizabeth II, the house occupies a corner of the Windsor estate in west London.
They renovated the property and moved in just before the arrival of their son Archie in May 2019. However, the renovation sparked controversy after the couple retired from public life and it was revealed that £2.4million (about US$3million) is in British taxpayer money to refurbish the country house. They have since returned public funds after moving to California.
The work, which included the removal of a chimney, roof replacement, new stairs, chimney installations and a new ‘floating’ wood floor, was detailed in planning documents for the council. The Duke and Duchess privately covered the cost of all the furnishings, fixtures and fittings.
The Sussexes stayed at the estate when they returned to the UK last year, including attending the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations over the summer.
Prince Andrew currently resides nearby at the Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate. The Duke of York also stepped down from royal duties in 2019 after a disastrous interview about his friendship with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein plunged the family into an unprecedented crisis.
According to The Sun, the couple were reportedly asked to vacate the property days after the release of Spare, Harry’s memoir, in January.
The 38-year-old royal held back almost nothing to dismantle public perceptions that he was the fun-loving, carefree party prince, delving into the devastating effects of his mother’s death, his experimentation with drugs as a method of pain management and her difficulties, to find love
Buckingham Palace has repeatedly declined to comment on the memoir.
The autobiography follows a six-part Netflix documentary the couple released last year and a explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. They claimed there are “concerns” in the royal family about Archie’s skin color, detailed feelings, “being stuck” and said Meghan had suicidal thoughts during her first pregnancy.