Kensington Palace has confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be moving out of their current residence within the palace grounds early next year, instead opting to live in Windsor.
An official statement from the Palace, shared by Sky News Royal Correspondent, Rhiannon Mills, reveals the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be moving to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate “as they prepare for the arrival of their first child” in spring 2019.
Currently, Harry and Meghan live in Nottingham Cottage within the grounds of Kensington Palace. The two-bedroom cottage is not big enough for the couple’s expanding family (they also have two dogs and will likely require a live-in nanny, don’t forget), but speculation had previously been rife that the royals would relocate to Apartment 1, a 20-room property located just next door to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s house (Apartment 1a) in Kensington Palace.
According to the Palace’s recent statement, however, that is no longer the plan. Instead, Harry and Meghan will be moving into Frogmore Cottage (which is nothing like a cottage, when you consider it’s got 10 bedrooms, a yoga studio and a gym – but anyway).
The Sun’s Royal Correspondent Emily Andrews shared that the Windsor Estate property is currently being used as staff accommodation. At the moment, it’s split into five units, but will need “major building work to turn it back into a luxury family home” – likely why the Sussexes won’t be moving in until next year.
But why have they chosen to break the mould and leave Kensington Palace? We know Meghan and Harry have always liked to do things a little differently (you only need to take a look at their love of PDA to notice that), but it turns out there’s actually a very heartwarming reason they’ve taken the plunge to make the Berkshire estate their main residence.
“Windsor is a very special place for Their Royal Highnesses and they are grateful that their official residence will be on the estate,” the Kensington Palace statement reads.
As we well know, Meghan and Harry got married in St George’s Chapel in the ground of Windsor Castle in May this year. Their reception was held (and their engagement shoot photos were taken, incidentally) in the grounds of Frogmore House, very close to where their future home, Frogmore Cottage is located.
While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s departure from Kensington Palace seems to have come as a bit of a shock, it’s not entirely surprising the couple is choosing to move out of the glare of the spotlight in London. Prince William and Kate Middleton did exactly the same thing with their young family, let’s not forget, relocating to Norfolk and making Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate their main residence for the first few years of Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s lives.
In early 2017, the Cambridges decided to move back to London to make Kensington Palace their official home, after a notable increase in royal duties plus the need to settle Prince George into a permanent school.
We don’t know how long Meghan and Harry plan to reside in Windsor; it could be a short couple of years while they have their family, or they may decide to remain in Frogmore Cottage long-term. Either way, we hope they’re very happy in their new home.
