Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have officially
moved into their new digs.
In March 2019, an official royal announcement
specified that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
would be moving "to their official residence
at Frogmore Cottage" by spring 2019.
By the first week of April 2019, People magazine
confirmed the couple had officially left their
Kensington Palace apartment and taken up residence
at the cottage, which is located in Windsor
and shares the property with the Frogmore
House and Gardens.
While it may seem to be a sudden change, the
announcement revealed that it had been a,
quote, "long-planned move."
So why did the soon-to-be parents pick this
particular Windsor estate?
Built in the late 1600s, the Frogmore House
is oozing with history.
But, while the house is in fine shape, royal
biographer Ingrid Seward told People that
the cottage where Meghan and Harry now live
had actually become, quote, "pretty dilapidated."
In fact, the cottage was previously separated
into staff quarters and, without extensive
renovations, wouldn't have worked for a single
family.
As you've probably already deduced from the
name, there are also a lot of frogs that live
in the area, the royals' site reveals.
At first, it may sound like kind of a strange
place to put down roots, but Meghan and Harry
had a vision for this fixer upper.
Plus, the long planning time allowed for all
of the necessary renovations.
Thanks to British taxpayers, Harry and Meghan
were able to put an estimated $3.4 million
into the cottage.
That figure didn't cover the cost of an interior
designer or any furnishings, however.
According to BBC News, Meghan and Harry were
responsible for all of those expenses.
Despite having to partially pay out of pocket,
the duke and duchess didn't skimp when transforming
the cottage into their dream home.
A source reportedly told Cosmopolitan that
they were, quote, "going all out with the
refurbishment" and were even adding Smart
technology throughout the cottage.
Meghan and Harry have also made sure to get
the nursery ready prior to baby Sussex's arrival.
Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight back
in January 2019,
"According to sources who are helping with
[their new home] renovations, the nursery
itself is going to be very modern.
Apparently, it's going to be a monochrome
palette - whites and grays, I'm told, will
be the color theme for baby Sussex's nursery."
"The couple have said they don't know the
sex of their baby."
But the renovation didn't end with the baby's
room.
A palace insider told Vanity Fair that the
Duke and Duchess of Sussex were allowed to
select artwork from the queen's own extensive
art collection, so you can bet there are already
some spectacular paintings throughout their
home.
People also reported that the five-bedroom
cottage has been fitted with a "floating floor"
- for yoga, of course.
Needless to say, the cottage is "dilapidated"
no more.
Windsor is a special place for Their Royal
Highnesses - after all, that's where they
got married.
They also had their private evening reception
at the Frogmore House.
But that's not to say their new home is going
to be 100% perfect.
Another royal expert revealed on Twitter that
the downside to the Frogmore Cottage is all
of the "[airplanes] in and out of Heathrow."
So it seems the couple will have to put up
with some noise.
Overall, Harry and Meghan can put their minds
at ease because not only is the Frogmore Cottage
private, but the security is also top-notch.
In an article for Vanity Fair, Katie Nicholl
quoted sources who claimed the cottage has
"Fort Knox"-level protection.
The insider said,
"No one can get close.
Harry and Meghan have made Frogmore their
very own fortress."
But, hey, isn't that one of the main perks
of being royalty?
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