Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Wanted To Live With The Queen, But Couldn't

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly wanted to live with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle after their marriage. Details about their request, and how the queen turned her grandson down have now surfaced online.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex initially wanted to live with Queen Elizabeth II. However, the queen firmly denied their request and gave them Frogmore Cottage to settle down instead, Express reported.

The royal couple reportedly asked Queen Elizabeth II permission to stay with her and Prince Philip, and had asked if there were living quarters at the Windsor Castle that could be made available to them. According to royal author Hugo Vickers, there are empty bedrooms and suits that are available at the castle, apart from former living quarters on the grounds. It was the queen who wanted the couple to live in the Frogmore Cottage rather than take an empty room in the castle.

It is not clear why the queen didn’t want her grandson to live with her in Windsor Castle. Vickers explained it by saying that he understood why it might not be appropriate for the young couple to stay at the castle.

An official statement that was released by Kensington Palace last year stated that Windsor is a “special place” for Prince Harry and Markle. The two of them were “delighted” that they would stay at the castle grounds and begin their new life as a married couple, according to the statement.

Prince Harry and Markle paid for some of the “fixtures and fittings” of their new home, but the building was in need of “substantial overhaul” at that time. The renovations of the building cost the taxpayers £2.4million (around US$29 million), The Sun reported.

The Frogmore Cottage is a five-bedroom building that needed a new heating system, wiring, and other utilities. Prince Harry and Markle also had renovation work done on the wardrobes, bathrooms, and the kitchen.