Prince Harry stays at Frogmore Cottage during surprise UK visit despite eviction

Prince Harry stunned royal watchers with his recent appearance in London – but a new detail about the whirlwind visit is even more surprising. Photo / AP

Prince Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage while visiting the UK recently – despite being evicted early last month.

The Duke of Sussex made a surprise court appearance in London last week amid his phone-hacking lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL).

According to The Telegraph, he stayed at his former five-bedroom home in Windsor while he was in town.

In March, it was revealed Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had been given orders by King Charles III to leave Frogmore Cottage, removing all the belongings they’d left behind after quitting royal duties and moving to California.

“We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” a spokesman for the couple said in a statement at the time.

Shortly afterwards, royal reporter Omid Scobie – who is understood to be a friend of the Duchess of Sussex – revealed Harry and Meghan were “stunned” by the King’s decision.

Harry, Meghan and their two children at Frogmore Cottage. Photo / Netflix

“It all feels very final and like a cruel punishment.

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

Another source added: “Initially they were given just weeks, but now they have at least until after the coronation.”

It’s understood the royal directive came through within days of the release of Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, in which he fired a number of accusations at his family.

Among the most explosive were claims that his brother pushed him to the ground during a physical altercation, that Kate had been cold towards his wife, and that Charles and Camilla’s offices had deliberately leaked private stories about them to the media.

Prince Harry arrives at the Royal Courts Of Justice, in London, Monday, March 27, 2023. Photo / Getty Images

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 NZ$4.7 million – before they eventually moved in.

However, Harry and Meghan lived there for less than a year before announcing they were quitting royal duties and moving overseas in early 2020.

They have since paid back the cost of the renovations after landing a series of lucrative commercial deals.

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.