King Charles reportedly decided to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage because his son had repeated broadsides at Queen Consort Camilla in his memoir Spare.
The monarch informed the Sussexes on Tuesday that he was vacating the five-bedroom mansion on the Windsor Estate – a move supported by his wife and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The decision was obviously difficult for the king, especially since he was careful not to enrich the fire of their ongoing dispute.
However, he is understood to have reached a point where he believed Harry had “crossed a line” following claims in her Netflix series and the Prince’s bombshell memoir Spare.
The king is said to have been particularly outraged by allegations that Camilla was responsible for leaking stories to the media, reports The Mirror.
King Charles reportedly decided to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage because his son had repeated broadsides at Queen Consort Camilla
The monarch informed the Sussexes on Tuesday that they were vacating the five-bedroom mansion on the Windsor Estate
Speaking to 60 Minutes’ Anderson Cooper in January to promote his book, Harry said Camilla’s willingness to develop relationships with the British press makes her “dangerous” and that “corpses are left behind in the streets because of it”.
He also referred to her as “the bad guy” in television interviews.
Charles reportedly began the eviction process on Jan. 11 — the day after Spare was released — after reading a dossier of aid workers’ insights into the details published in the book.
Sources told The Mirror that the allegations have irreparably damaged Harry’s relationship with his father and brother Prince William.
They added: “It was the last straw. Harry was well aware that Camilla would be a red line for his father, and he still crossed it with blatant disregard.
“The king undoubtedly felt he had crossed a line – it was the ultimate act of disrespect.”
It’s understood the royal is particularly keen to resolve many of the nagging issues that remain around Harry, Meghan and Andrew prior to his coronation, which have been allowed to ‘draw on’ for far too long.
It is understood they had originally been ordered to quit when their lease was due to be renewed next month, but had been granted a stay of execution.
Of the decision to start the process, a source said: “It was assumed it would be like tearing off a band-aid. Painful, but when it’s done, it’s done.”
The latest turn in the Windsors’ ongoing war suggests there are even more doubts about their performance at the King’s coronation on May 6th.
Frogmore Cottage has already been offered to Prince Andrew, who is said to be resisting pressure to downsize the seven-bedroom Royal Lodge.
But his current property is said to have serious moisture problems and needs a new roof, The Sun reports.
Harry and Meghan were made available to Frogmore Cottage by Queen Elizabeth in 2018 as they engaged with the Prince and Princess of Wales
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen in the kitchen at Frogmore Cottage, where they have been asked to clear away their belongings
The house has already been offered to Prince Andrew, who is said to be resisting pressure to downsize the seven-bedroom Royal Lodge.
The Royal Lodge is believed to need millions of pounds worth of repairs, but Andrew is expected to lose hidden annual funding from Charles.
A source told the newspaper: “Millions were spent when Andrew moved in but that was 20 years ago.
READ MORE: King Charles’ decision to eject Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage was ‘like ripping off a band-aid
“For two decades there has been hardly any work and people are shocked when they visit us.
“There is a serious moisture issue that needs to be addressed and it doesn’t come cheap in a house of this size. It also needs a new roof.
“Not only does Andrew not have the financial resources to fix the house, it would be uninhabitable if the work were to go ahead.”
Andrew is currently reportedly paying £250 a week for a government-subsidised 30-bedroom mansion with 98 acres of land and a swimming pool – and doesn’t want to leave it after 20 years.
But the Duke of York is set to lose £250,000 a year in funding from the king as part of a restructuring of private royal finances and has had to sell assets including a £19million ski chalet to cover the cost of settling the Virginia Roberts sex scandal case Giuffre – a sex slave victim of Jeffrey Epstein.
Meanwhile, it is believed the Sussexes have not been offered alternative ownership at any royal estate.
Sources claimed they had no idea Frogmore Andrew was being offered until it hit the papers.
Buckingham Palace yesterday declined to comment on the decision to ask the Sussexes to pack their remaining belongings by early summer.
It is understood they had originally been ordered to quit when their lease was due to be renewed next month, but had been granted a stay of execution.
However, a spokesman for the couple went on record this week to confirm that they were “ordered to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage” – a sign of their shock and anger at the move.
Harry and Meghan were made available to Frogmore Cottage by Queen Elizabeth in 2018 as they engaged with the Prince and Princess of Wales.
It originally consisted of five run-down staff apartments but was initially converted into a large house with a private garden using £2.4million in taxpayer money. The couple paid for everything that went beyond the basic equipment themselves.
But they only spent six months in the home before relocating to North America, first Canada and then California, where they bought an £11million mansion in Montecito.
Despite several public statements from Harry that he now sees his future in the US, he and Meghan decided to reimburse the Crown Estate for renovations in a deal that included renting Frogmore Cottage for an indefinite number of years.
The couple claimed it meant that “her family would always have a home in the UK” while they pursued lucrative trading deals abroad.
More importantly, the Sussexes also felt repaying public money spent on Frogmore would deflect ongoing criticism.
Last year, royal officials confirmed that Harry and Meghan are fully “financially independent” and said the couple’s decision to return the £2.4million to Frogmore was a “good deal” for taxpayers.
According to the Palace’s financial statements, the lump sum they paid to cover the renovation of their former marital home on the Queen’s estate also included undisclosed future rental costs.