People Magazine got an interesting little update on the Frogmore Cottage eviction! I know some of you will scream “it didn’t come from the Sussexes,” but I tend to give props whenever I see a gossip/media outlet actually try to be fair to Prince Harry and Meghan. While I obviously don’t agree with a lot of People’s royal coverage, the fact is that they really do try to walk the middle ground of “being friendly to the Sussexes and the British royals.” Anyway, People’s sources say that the Sussexes are “matter-of-fact” about the eviction, but there’s a note in this piece about how King Charles needs to pay up:

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are not pushing back on King Charles’ decision to evict them from their U.K. home, Frogmore Cottage. A source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “matter-of-fact” about being requested to leave Frogmore Cottage and aren’t trying to overturn the decision. The source adds that Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, are happy to raise their two children in California, where they moved in 2020 after stepping back as senior members of the royal family.

However, those close to the couple say the decision is “unfortunate” — especially in terms of security, as Frogmore Cottage in Windsor was a haven for the pair and their children, 3-year-old son Archie Harrison and 1-year-old daughter Lilibet Diana, when they visited the U.K.

Last week, a spokesperson for Harry and Meghan told PEOPLE, “We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.”

PEOPLE understands that the couple knew about the move before the release of Prince Harry’s book, Spare, in January.

It remains to be seen whether the couple will receive a refund for part of the $2.9 million they spent on refurbishments and rental costs on the property over several years, as the time on their lease has not yet expired.

Royal historian Robert Lacey tells PEOPLE that King Charles is making moves that Queen Elizabeth did not. “Charles is now the guardian of the institution. The King just can’t sit back,” he says. “It shows Charles has a steel that his mother lacked. The Queen could never bring herself to confront Harry as an adult.”

[From People]

Is “confront” the correct verb in this case? The royal establishment – which includes Lacey, for better or for worse – has gotten the talking point that this eviction was King Charles showing “strength” – the strength of a petty, vindictive dogsh-t father, as opposed to a man who actually wants to spend time with his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. The fact that they’ve turned “evicting his son who paid for everything, including an advance lease” into some kind of hero’s tale for Charles says a lot about the royal system’s priorities.

Now, it’s news to all of us that the Sussexes were told about the eviction before Spare came out. Sources claimed last week that the palace informed Harry about the eviction on January 11th, the day after Spare came out. Anyway, the Royal Estates better run Harry a check for $3 million right about now.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, ‘60 Minutes’.

Source: Read Full Article