Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big move finally confirmed

The Palace has released an official statement on the royal housing saga, six months after the King sensationally evicted the couple from their UK base.

Six months after getting their eviction notice from King Charles, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have finally packed up their belongings from their UK property, Frogmore Cottage, and returned the keys.

“We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage,” Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, said in a statement.

“The Duke and Duchess have repaid the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset.”

Frogmore Cottage was gifted to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen when they got married in 2018. It underwent significant renovations – costing taxpayers a reported £2.4 million ($A4.29 million) – before they eventually moved in. They have since repaid the cost of the upgrades.

Meghan and Harry have shipped their remaining belongings from the UK to California. Picture: Timothy A. Clary/AFP

Earlier this year, it emerged that the King had demanded the couple move out of the Windsor property, apparently giving the order just days after Harry’s explosive memoir Spare was released.

According to The Sun, their remaining UK possessions have now been shipped to their new home in California, just days ahead of the final deadline given by the monarch.

Harry and Meghan – along with their children, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2 – currently reside in Montecito in a $21 million mansion with nine bedrooms.

The pair carry their children up the driveway to Frogmore Cottage. Picture: Netflix

Harry’s most recent stay at Frogmore was earlier this month, when he appeared as a witness in a London court in the phone-hacking trial.

But The Sun now claims that should he want to use it as his UK base in the future, it’ll need to be through a “private agreement” with his father – with whom his relationship is reportedly still quite frosty.

Glimpses of inside the stunning UK cottage were shown in their Netflix series. Picture: Netflix

The docu-series also showed candid snaps of Harry in the garden. Picture: Netflix

Back in March, when news broke of Harry and Meghan’s eviction from their UK base, royal author Omid Scobie shed light on the couple’s reaction to the decision.

“It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment,” a source close to the Sussexes reportedly told him.

“It’s like [the family] want to cut them out of the picture for good.”

Harry and Meghan lived at Frogmore Cottage for less than a year before announcing they were quitting royal duties and moving overseas in early 2020.

The couple most recently renewed their lease on the property in May last year, after its temporary residents, Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, moved to Portugal.

Palace officials have refused to comment on who might become Frogmore Cottage’s next occupants, amid ongoing reports that the disgraced Prince Andrew has been (unsuccessfully) urged by the King to downgrade there from his palatial 30-room Royal Lodge.

The Lodge has been Andrew’s official residence since 2004, and he currently lives there with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, under a 75-year lease which is separate from the Sovereign Grant funding.

Originally published as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big move finally confirmed