Meghan Markle reportedly viewed her relocation to Frogmore Cottage as the “final straw” before she and Prince Harry ultimately stepped back from royal duties and left the UK for the US, according to a new claim by a royal biographer.

Complaints About “Rural Obscurity”

After being moved to the property a year after their 2018 wedding, Meghan allegedly voiced her frustration about what she saw as the countryside isolation of Frogmore Cottage.
The five-bedroom home, gifted to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth II, sits on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

But according to biographer Tom Quinn, the Duchess, 44, bristled at the idea of living somewhere so remote, reportedly saying: “I don’t want to retire to rural obscurity.”

Disappointment After Nottingham Cottage

Quinn claims in his new book, Kensington Palace, that the relocation was especially difficult because Meghan and Harry had already been unhappy with their “tiny” starter home, Nottingham Cottage, inside Kensington Palace.
They had hoped that moving to Windsor would offer “the perfect retreat from what Meghan and Harry saw as an unsympathetic, unfair world of media speculation and criticism.”

Instead, Meghan became increasingly dissatisfied with the location. One insider remarked: “Meghan realised that living [at Frogmore Cottage] would be like living in the Russian steppe. Its remoteness made Kensington seem like the centre of the universe.”

Controversial Renovations

Their time at Frogmore quickly became entangled in public backlash after it was revealed that roughly $4.3 million (£2.4 million) of taxpayer money had gone into refurbishing the centuries-old property into what was described as a “Californian condo.”

A builder told Quinn that Meghan, who was pregnant with Archie at the time, oversaw much of the renovation work.
Upgrades reportedly included advanced soundproofing, underfloor heating and a copper bathtub.

Prince Harry later repaid the entire renovation cost after the controversy intensified.

Meghan and Harry were formally evicted from Frogmore Cottage in 2020 following their decision to step down as senior working royals and relocate to the United States.
They now live in a large Montecito estate with their two children — Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.

Frogmore Offered to Prince Andrew

After the Sussexes left, King Charles reportedly offered the property to his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. However, Andrew is said to have turned it down, viewing it as a “demotion” from his long-time residence, Royal Lodge.

Last month, King Charles removed Andrew’s royal titles and instructed him to vacate the 30-room Windsor mansion over his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, had lived at Royal Lodge rent-free for nearly two decades. Though they have yet to leave, Buckingham Palace has stated that Andrew will move to the Sandringham estate “as soon as possible and practicable.”