WHEN Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quit the Royal Family last year, the couple swapped their newly-renovated Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in favour of a £11m California mansion.
But it turns out the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also turned their backs on another royal residence as part of the Megxit fallout.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Clarence House – which is the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall’s current London residence – had been reserved for Harry and Meghan when Charles becomes King.
Just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, this stunning aristocratic townhouse was built in 1827 and is estimated to be worth over £55m.
Before she became Queen in 1953, Princess Elizabeth and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh lived in the sprawling royal residence for the first five years of their marriage.
As part of his preparations for when he becomes King, the publication reports that Prince Charles had reserved his home for Harry – but a source said this is “no longer on the cards”.
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Instead, the insider claimed the property will be kept in waiting as a potential future home for Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to live in one day.
The source added: “No one is terribly fond of Clarence House because it’s still seen very much as the Queen Mother’s place.”
After temporarily living in Tyler Perry’s $18m Beverly Hills mega-mansion in the wake of Megxit, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex purchased their “forever” home in the exclusive neighbourhood of Montecito last summer.
The estate boasts five acres of land, a private tennis court, outdoor swimming pool, steam room, arcade and a wine cellar too.
What’s more, Prince Charles reportedly wants to “slim down the monarchy” and make royal residences more open to the public.
A source claimed: “The central point is: when The Queen is no longer here, how do you effectively spread two generations of the family across quite a large number of properties?
“‘Everybody recognises it makes no sense to run so many residences but if you give them up entirely you will never get them back when Prince George and the younger Royals grow up and need somewhere to live.”
In more Royal Family news, we revealed Meghan Markle’s ‘peace offering’ to Kate Middleton after flower girl dress row.
And Kate Middleton proved she’s top of the class in £16 Zara dress on visit to University College London.
Plus these are the hints Meghan Markle is about to launch her own cosmetic line after visits to estate of beauty marketing firm executive.
