Frogmore Cottage STILL lies empty greater than a yr after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had been booted out following launch of duke’s bombshell memoir Spare

Frogmore Cottage continues to be mendacity empty greater than a yr after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had been compelled out, as Prince Andrew refuses to maneuver into the residence.

Prince Harry was requested to take away his remaining possessions from the property simply weeks after he printed his explosive memoir Spare final yr.

The Sussexes had provoked fury by spending £2.4 million of taxpayers’ cash renovating it, however they coated the prices themselves following the outcry.

The Duke of York was provided the choice to maneuver into the cottage, as a substitute of residing within the £30 million Royal Lodge whereas he has no obvious supply of revenue, however he declined. 

Prince Andrew was compelled to step again from royal duties amid the scandal over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The King has lengthy been making an attempt to influence him to go away his 30-room Windsor mansion in favour of Frogmore Cottage.

However yesterday a Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed that Frogmore continues to be empty as they detailed the annual Sovereign Grant report, which units out how the monarchy is funded by taxpayers.

‘I feel at this level I would not speculate on who can be the longer term occupant of Frogmore Cottage,’ they stated. 

Different highlights from the 2023/24 evaluate embody:

• Earnings from the Crown Property greater than doubled to £1.1 billion, pushed by a short-term enhance from offshore wind farms;
• The Prince of Wales acquired a personal revenue of greater than £23 million final yr in income from the Duchy of Cornwall property;
• Buckingham Palace electrical energy payments soared by £900,000 to £2.2 million;
• The proportion of ethnic minority workers at Buckingham Palace rose by 0.7 per cent to 11.4 per cent this yr however a spokesman stated ‘there may be nonetheless extra to be performed’;
• The Sovereign Grant was frozen for a 3rd yr at £86.3 million, with £51.8 million funding the King’s official duties and £34.5 million paying for ongoing works at Buckingham Palace.

A former resident of Frogmore Cottage, the Duchess of Sussex, was this week seen leaving fashionable Italian restaurant Tre Lune close to her Montecito mansion. 

Meghan, 42, was sporting a pair of £820 Chanel lambskin ballerina flats together with Princess Diana’s £17,800 Cartier Tank Française gold watch and a £5,800 Cartier Love yellow gold bracelet.

The revelation that her previous house stays empty raises questions over what the King plans to do with it, as renting it out would reduce the burden on taxpayers. 

The King reportedly threatened to chop his brother’s finances over his refusal to maneuver into Frogmore along with his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson.

Prince Andrew took over Royal Lodge from his grandmother, the Queen Mom, and there are nonetheless round 50 years left on the lease.

A supply instructed The Instances earlier this yr: ‘If [Prince Andrew] does not agree to maneuver to a property higher suited to his wants, then the King could need to rethink the degrees of assist he’s keen to offer.’ 

The King at the moment funds the Duke of York’s £3 million safety invoice, and pays for his housekeepers and gardeners.

In the meantime, Prince Harry and Meghan have reportedly expressed an curiosity in making an attempt to lease out Flats 1 and seven at Kensington Palace throughout visits to the UK.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman stated: ‘There are some places the place it’s doable to allocate a property to a tenant who just isn’t a part of the royal family as a result of the safety association will permit that. 

‘Throughout the grounds of Kensington Palace that’s rather more tough so it’s most likely unlikely to be exterior.’

The Mail understands the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is not going to be transferring in.