Britain's Prince Harry loses home on royal estate

AFP | London                                 

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are being evicted from their home on the British royal family's Windsor estate, leaving them without a UK base, reports said on Wednesday.

Frogmore Cottage, which they refurbished at a reported cost of £2.4 million ($2.9 million), had been a wedding present from the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2018.

It has now been offered to Prince Andrew, King Charles III's disgraced brother, reports in the The Sun and Daily Telegraph said.

Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were reportedly told to vacate the property in January just days after the publication of the prince's tell-all memoir "Spare".

Charles, who has long favoured a slimmed down monarchy, is currently undertaking an overhaul of funding.

A possible axing of Andrew's £250,000-a-year grant could see him forced out of his current residence, the 30-room Royal Lodge, also on the Windsor estate, due to its massive upkeep costs.

Harry and Meghan moved to California in 2020 after dramatically quitting royal life.

Since then, they have taken part in a string of projects -- from an interview with Oprah Winfrey to a Netflix documentary -- airing grievances about their experiences as members of the British royal family.

Harry's autobiography "Spare" smashed sales records when it was published in January, but also saw his popularity ratings slump.

Andrew was forced out of public life over his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Last year Andrew settled a US civil case for sexual assault with accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the reports. A representative for the Sussexes was not immediately available.