With a brand new, $14.6 million home nestled in the hills of Santa Barbara — and a mega-deal with Netflix — it's clear that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving forward with their lives in California. But as senior members of the royal family (no, that hasn't changed; Harry is still the son and brother of future kings and sixth in line to the throne), they will occasionally return to the UK to attend events and hang out.
Where will the couple stay? Why, in their own home, of course. Yup, Frogmore Cottage is still theirs, but what do we know about this "cottage" that's more like a mini mansion? Not much, and a lot, all at the same time. Even though the couple has never shared so much as a single picture of the exterior or interior of the home, enterprising reporters and fans have sussed out some of the details about how it was renovated and decorated, inside and out. In addition, the building and the Frogmore Estate land that surrounds it is centuries old and has deep history.
So there's a lot to learn and, as it happens, a lot to unlearn.
When Queen Elizabeth announced that Meghan and Harry would be making the cottage their permanent home and renovations began, rumors swirled like crazy around the cost, the supposed lavish details, the supposed anger from neighbors. In our list of 20 things to know about Frogmore cottage, we parse fact from fake news and give y'all some good insight into the royal Sussex pad.
It Was Built for a Queen.
In the olden days, life in a castle could be pretty oppressive for a royal: All those courtiers constantly hanging around, brown-nosing, and asking for favors must have been super annoying. So it was pretty normal for monarchs to buy or build retreats. That's what happened in the 1790s: King George III bought Frogmore House near Windsor Castle for Queen Charlotte to use as a retreat. A few years later, she had Frogmore Cottage built nearby as — get this — a retreat from her retreat. We give her a pass, though. The woman was constantly pregnant and had 15 children.
It Sits in Walking Distance From the Queen's Weekend Home.
That would be Windsor Castle, of course. Even though the 900-year-old castle-fortress and its surrounding parkland are enormous, the cottage — which is nestled among shady trees and sits near a pond — is just half a mile away from it and from St. George's Chapel, where Meghan and Harry got married in 2018. Wonder how many times the couple walked up to have tea with Granny.
Renovations Cost $3.2 Million.
Before Meghan, Harry, and newborn baby Archie could move into Frogmore Cottage, it had to be made livable for the family. The nearly 250-year-old white stucco building needed major structural repairs, including on many of the ceiling beams and floor joists, and required upgrades to the heating, gas, and electrical systems. The building had been divided into five apartments for lower-level staff — which, considering the repairs the place needed, makes the Queen a pretty bad landlady, y'all — and had to be turned back into a single-family home of five bedrooms.
Harry & Meghan Weren't Obligated To Repay the Renovation Money.
Fast on the heels of the news that Harry and Meghan had made a $150 million deal with Netflix came word that they had paid the Sovereign Grant around $3.2 million to cover the costs of the home's renovation. The couple spent less than a year at the home before bolting from life as working royals, but here's the thing: They weren't really obligated to pay renovations on the building.
Funds for a renovation of the crumbling building were approved in 2016, with the money coming from taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, an amount given annually to the Queen in part for the upkeep of buildings that belong to the Crown. Our guess is that the couple chose to shut up critics by paying the costs themselves, because they will continue to use it when they visit.
The Couple Reportedly Hired a High-End Designer To Decorate.
It's no secret that Meghan is a huge fan of Soho House, the chain of ultra-exclusive clubs with an instantly recognizable cozy shabby chic aesthetic. (One of her closest fiends is Markus Anderson, a consultant for Soho House.) Word is that she and Harry hired the company's former longtime decorator, Vicky Charles, to help plan the interiors, from paints (they reportedly used organic vegan paint in whites and grays) to curtains, furnishings, and beyond. They paid for all the interior decor themselves.
The Nursery Is NOT Baby Blue.
Meghan has been a feminist since she took on a TV ad as a kid, and that's reflected in Frogmore Cottage. According to reports, when the couple had the house painted, Archie's nursery got special attention. The nursery is gender-neutral in white and gray. She also told friends that she would be raising him as free of gender stereotypes as possible.
It Features Artwork From the Royal Collection.
According to a Vanity Fair report, the Queen gave Harry and Meghan the opportunity to select pieces from the vast royal collection of art, which includes paintings, photographs, and objects from Middle Ages artists all the way up to contemporary artists — such as Anish Kapoor and Andy Warhol. No word on what the couple hung on their walls, but because it's one of the premier collections in the world, there was plenty to choose from. Lucky them!
Frogmore Is Still Their Home.
Yes, Meghan and Harry moved to California and just bought a home in the exclusive Montecito area of Santa Barbara, with neighbors that include Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres. But whenever they return to the United Kingdom, they'll stay at Frogmore Cottage and pay some sort of rent — like other royal relatives who mostly stay in Kensington Palace. Not a bad place to come home to!
Meghan & Harry Weren't Supposed To Live There.
Rumor has it that the couple wanted to move into Windsor Castle itself, where Queen Elizabeth lives during weekends. If true, that would be a super ballsy ask, but in their defense, it would have saved all those renovation costs.
But the Queen's "for real, for real plans" were for them to move next door to William and Kate at Kensington Palace. Somewhere along the way, though, Harry and Meghan — who had been living in the relatively small Nottingham Cottage on Kensington Palace grounds — had a falling out with them and decided to put some distance between the families. That's when the Queen offered Frogmore Cottage.
There's a Veggie Garden.
Meghan is a huge health nut and likes to keep her meals organic and healthy, so we weren't surprised at all to hear reports that she had an organic veggie garden planted. It's the best way to ensure a farm-to-table philosophy, and we all know that avocado-loving Cali girl is all about that.
Two Special Trees Were Planted Nearby.
We love this report so much that we're willing it to be true with our fangirl minds. Apparently, Meghan and Harry — or maybe the Queen? — had two California redwoods planted near Frogmore Cottage. The magnificent, uber-tall trees are supposed to represent Meghan and Archie's American roots and Meghan's beloved home state.
So sweet.
It's Surrounded by a LOT of Green Space.
Frogmore Cottage's setting is absolutely idyllic. It's surrounded by 665 acres of gorgeous gardens — big enough for the Queen to go for a leisurely horseback ride. The park closed to the public for all but six days out of the year.
Can y'all imagine having all that space and privacy? No wonder the couple decided to leave the fishbowl life at Kensington Palace — which is full of tourists and royal relatives — and venture out to the countryside.
It's in a Pretty Noisy Area.
As part of the cottage's renovations, Meghan and Harry had soundproof windows installed throughout the house, at their own expense.
Why? Because despite the leafy setting of Frogmore Cottage, it also happens to be right under the flight path for Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world — and trying to put down a baby for a nap under all that racket? Nope, not happening.
Contrary to Rumors, Harry and Meghan Did Not Demand Neighbors Stay Away.
Soon after Meghan, Harry, and Archie moved into Frogmore Cottage, tabloids reported that the couple had handed out a list of demands for neighbors to follow — including instructions not to speak to them, ask to see Archie, or pet their dogs. Predictably, critics used the report as evidence of the couple's entitled behavior, but it was later revealed the list was a spoof by a neighbor, who was just having a bit of fun.
... Or Install Rumored Over-the-Top Details.
When Meghan sued the Daily Mail over the newspaper's publishing of a private letter, it gave her team of lawyers a chance to debunk rumors published in the press about the cottage's renovations.
That supposed $6,500 copper bathtub, the orangery, the tennis court, the private guest suite for mom Doria Ragland, the yoga studio? All just rumors or outright lies.
It Has a Famous Previous Tenant.
Queen Victoria had a beloved Indian confidant and teacher named Abdul Karim, who was so close to her she had him live in Frogmore Cottage so he could be nearby. The story of their friendship, which was the subject of the Judi Dench movie Victoria & Abdul, was only fully uncovered after an investigation in 2003. (Above is a picture of Prince Charles standing near statues of the friends at an exhibit.)
That's because her children and staff hated that a brown man they considered racially inferior had become so close to the monarch and even traveled with her. When she died, they destroyed mentions of him in her journals, burned all their letters and his personal effects at Frogmore Cottage — and deported him to India, where he died a few years later at age 46. Absolutely shameful.
It Also Hosted a Few Others Who Were Famous.
The cottage was also occupied in 1925 by the royal family's Russian cousins, who had fled their homeland after the Russian revolution: Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna and several of her kids. The house fell into disrepair and was shuttered for a time afterward.
Nearby Is the Place Where Harry and Meghan Posed for Their Official Engagement Photos.
That would be Frogmore House, Queen Charlotte's bigger retreat house. We didn't notice the house or the lake in the background of those stunning photos because we were too busy looking at the gorgeous and happy couple — and at Meghan's showstopping Ralph & Russo couture gown. But yes, it was there. The couple held their wedding reception there as well.
Queen Victoria Is Buried Nearby.
The Frogmore Estate, where Frogmore Cottage sits, includes a large and marble-lined mausoleum where Queen Victoria and her beloved husband, Albert, are entombed. The fact that they were buried in one crypt was a departure from royal tradition. Until then, other monarchs were buried alone, either at Westminster Abbey or St. George's Chapel.
The Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson Are Also Buried Nearby.
There's another American on the Frogmore Estate besides Meghan, sort of: Wallis Simpson, the American divorcée for whom King Edward VIII (later known as the Duke of Windsor) abdicated the throne in 1936. She is buried in the royal burial grounds surrounding Queen Victoria's mausoleum, alongside her husband.
