Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, live more than 5,000 miles from the UK full-time and rarely visit across the pond. In fact, Meghan hasn’t been back there since her official duties wrapped up in 2020, so some fans were a bit surprised when the Duke of Sussex renewed the lease on his home, Frogmore Cottage, in England.
Well, there’s actually a specific reason why Harry did that and it’s not because he’s planning on going on vacation to Windsor. Here’s why the prince chose to go back up even though he reportedly has no plans to return.
The renovations that Harry and Meghan had done inside Frogmore
Before announcing that they wanted to step out as royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex renovated their five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage.
A new heating and electrical system was installed in the house and soundproofing was installed. Additionally, some additions to the property included two orange groves and an orchard.
The renovations took months and cost taxpayers around $3 million, which Meghan and Harry have since paid for.
Why did Prince Harry renew the lease on his UK home?
Harry has only stayed at the Frogmore house twice since moving in and the visits weren’t long. So why did he renew the lease?
According to Cosmopolitan, “By keeping the lease on Frogmore Cottage, Harry is allowed to stay on as one of the Queen’s Counsel of State. As for what this really means, by law, if the queen is temporarily unable to fulfill her duties, then her Councilors of State can intervene. Because Queen Elizabeth’s spouse, Prince Philip, is no longer alive, the next people in the line of succession. (not counting Prince William’s children because they are under 21) are Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry.
However, Councilors of State must have a permanent residence in the UK, which explains why Harry renewed Frogmore’s lease.
Harry won’t go back to England if he can’t have what he wants.
Since announcing that he was stepping down as a royal and moving to the United States, Prince Harry has traveled to England twice. Once for the funeral of Prince Philip and once for the unveiling of the statue of Princess Diana at Kensington Palace. Meanwhile, Meghan hasn’t been on British soil since she attended her last royal engagement in March 2020.
Harry has said that for his family to travel to England he wants private security which he has offered to pay for. However, the Daily Mail reported that “When Harry left The Firm, the terms [of his exit] they were clear. Like other members of the public, he and his wife cannot hire armed police officers at will, no matter how much they offer to pay.” So the security that the Sussexes have in the US could not be replicated in the UK because people are not allowed to walk the streets with guns.
Royal expert Camilla Tominey added that it was previously believed that Harry wanted to return to his homeland to visit him, but “perhaps what the Sussexes are really trying to tell us is that Meghan categorically doesn’t.” Only time will tell.”
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