Contrary to speculation in the media, Vanity Fair can confirm the Sussexes are not eyeing real estate across the pond.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been without a home base in England since they vacated Frogmore Cottage last summer. Despite rumors that Harry’s ongoing legal battle over his security arrangement is a sign that he is interested in a more permanent spot in the country—where he and Meghan both have charitable ties—Vanity Fair can report that the prince is not looking for property in the UK.
Royal author Tom Quinn sparked speculation on the matter in an interview with the Daily Mirror, as he supposed that the California lifestyle might be wearing on Harry. “He misses his old Etonian and army friends, many of whom have not visited, as they don’t get on with Meghan,” said Quinn, the author of books including Gilded Youth. “Harry is determined to find his own permanent home in the UK, which is partly why he’s continuing his legal action to get the British taxpayer to pay for his security.”
Earlier this month, Harry won the right to continue a fight for enhanced security protection when he visits the nation. For the last two years, lawyers for the prince have argued that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures erred in downgrading his publicly funded security in the country when he stepped back from his royal role in 2020. At first Harry argued that he should be allowed to fund his own armed security during visits to the country; now the legal battle is focused on the process that went into the decision to strip him of full access to armed security in the first place.
Last summer Harry and Meghan moved their belongings out of Frogmore Cottage, the five-bedroom home near Windsor Castle that they moved into soon after their 2018 wedding. Even though the couple decamped to Southern California and made the United States their primary residence in 2020, they held on to the house on the Windsor Home Park grounds in order to make occasional visits to the UK, including a high-profile June 2022 trip during which they attended events for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. The home was given as a wedding gift to Meghan and Harry by the late queen, but after King Charles III ascended the throne, he asked that the couple vacate the property.
In 2024, Harry has already taken a few trips back to his home country, including a one-day visit that saw him meet with King Charles shortly after he announced his cancer diagnosis. On another recent visit to the country, he reportedly stayed in a hotel rather than in a palace apartment.
