Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s move to Frogmore Cottage in 2019 “fuelled rumours of a fallout”, according to royal commentators. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been living in Kensington Palace, where Prince William and Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge also resided with their family but were gifted the Windsor property by the Queen ahead of the birth of their son, Archie. Vanity Fair Royal Editor, Katie Nicholl, spoke to Channel 5 documentary, ‘William And Harry: Princes At War’, about whether the move was motivated by a rift between the brothers.
She said: “Both Meghan and Harry felt that they wanted to just be their own people.
“They wanted to establish their own court, establish their own household.
“They wanted to have a sense of freedom from the Cambridges.
“Of course, that move away from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage only fuelled rumours of a rift, of a fallout.”
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Ms Nicholl continued: “There were rumours that they clearly didn’t get on, and the Sussexes just wanted to be out of Kensington Palace.
“People thought therefore wasn’t this conclusive evidence?”
‘s Royal Correspondent Emily Andrews also told the documentary that after the Sussexes’ wedding, the ‘Fab Four’ did not see each other privately for months.
This was despite them still living in the same Kensington Palace complex.
After announcing their decision to step back as senior royals, the Duke and Duchess’ official Sussex Royal website explained the reasoning behind the move.
The statement read: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose to move to Windsor for various reasons. Their previous residence of Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace could not accommodate their growing family.
“The option of Apartment 1 in Kensington Palace was estimated to cost in excess of £4 million for mandated renovations including the removal of asbestos.
“This residence would not have been available for them to occupy until the fourth quarter of 2020. As a result, Her Majesty The Queen offered The Duke and Duchess the use of Frogmore Cottage, which was already undergoing mandated renovations, and would be available to move in before the birth of their son.
“The refurbishment cost equated to 50 percent of the originally suggested property for their proposed official residence at Kensington Palace. It is for these reasons, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex chose Frogmore Cottage as their Official Residence.”
