The monarch has been urged not to let the couple call Royal Lodge home.
King Charles has been urged not to give the keys of the house to the couple (Image: Lesley Martin – Pool/Getty Images)
King Charles has been urged not to give Prince Harry and Meghan Markle the keys to a massive royal home now that they are back in the UK. In August, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, alongside their two children, moved back to Britain this summer for the first time since 2020, when they quit royal duty.
While they are now living back in the UK, the monarch made it clear that his youngest son and daughter-in-law will not become working royals again. It was also confirmed early on that the duke and duchess are living in a rented property outside of London.
This may have surprised some, especially as there are a number of royal properties currently sitting empty. This includes Royal Lodge in Windsor – the massive mansion Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was evicted from.
Just weeks ago, Andrew handed back the keys to the royal home, with King Charles covering the bill for much-needed repairs on the property. A spokesperson for the Crown Estate, which oversees the royal family’s land and property holdings and generates money for the Treasury, said: “The lease for Royal Lodge has ended and our focus now is firmly on its future use and the opportunities to generate additional financial value for the nation from its early return.”
With the property being in Windsor, not far from Harry and Meghan’s old royal home, it seems that it could make the perfect home for the couple and their children. However, a new poll launched by The Daily Express shows that many don’t want them to live there. It is believed there are no plans for the family to move into the Windsor mansion.
At 7am on October 10, we asked readers whether King Charles should let Harry and Meghan move into Royal Lodge. The poll ran until 4pm on October 14.
A total of 95% of poll voters said no – King Charles should not let the couple move in. Meanwhile, 4% said yes and another 1% said they don’t know.
Readers were also quick to share their opinions on the matter. One Daily Express reader said: “Absolutely not. They should not benefit from any royal connection Harry used to have.”
Another said: “No, too close to William and his family.” Someone else wrote: “No, absolutely not. He’s (King Charles) only recently got his brother out of Royal Lodge and it would be a huge mistake to let those two get their foot in the door.”
Harry and Meghan lived at Frogmore Cottage before quitting royal life in 2020 (Image: GOR/Getty Images)
Before leaving life as working royals in 2020, Harry and Meghan lived at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate. The home is where Prince Archie spent the first few months of his life, before the family moved across the pond.
The duke and duchess held the keys to Frogmore until 2023, when they were officially asked by King Charles to fully move their belongings out of the property and hand their keys back. This is exactly what they did.
This was believed to have been a blow for Harry and Meghan, who had always spoken fondly about life at Frogmore. Harry even wrote in Spare that he felt they were “destined” to live there, with the cottage being a wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Beforehand, the pair had lived at Nottingham Cottage on the Kensington Palace Estate.
