Prince HarryandMeghan Markleare ready to start a new chapter in their lives — and PEOPLE has a look at their new home.
Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37 — who areexpecting their first child togetherin the spring — aremovinginto Windsor Castle’s Frogmore Cottage, and out of Kensington Palace, wherePrince WilliamandKate Middletonlive, PEOPLE confirmed on Saturday.
The royal couple’s new home, which they’ll move into “early next year,” is a cottage with plenty of lush vegetation surrounding the property, as the photo below shows.
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The cottage will need some renovations, as it is currently divided into five units as home to the palace staff.The Sunreports their updated residence will feature a nursery and space for a personal gym and yoga studio — which Meghan has been known to be anavid fanof.
Windsor, located about 30 miles west of London, is a “special place” for the couple, their spokesman said, as it served as thesetting for their weddingin May. Frogmore House, located near the couple’s cottage, was where theirevening wedding partywas held and where theirengagement photoswere taken about a year ago.
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In a statement released to PEOPLE, their office said, “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will move to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate early next year as they prepare for the arrival of their first child. The couple have lived at Nottingham Cottage since their engagement last year.”
“Windsor is a very special place for Their Royal Highnesses and they are grateful that their official residence will be on the estate,” the statement continued. “The Duke and Duchess’s official office will continue to be based at Kensington Palace.”
The duo has lived in Kensington Palace’s Nottingham Cottage since their engagement — but that two-bedroom home was never likely to be a long-term residence, especially once they had children.
William and Kate have their London home at Kensington Palace — at Apartment 1a, which has around 20 rooms. It had been suggested that Harry and Meghan might have the neighboring Apartment 1, but one of the Queen’s cousins lives there.
Meghan and Harry, whoheads to Africasolo for two days on Monday, also share a home in the Cotswolds, which serves as an escape from London and is where they spend most weekends.
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With William one day set to be the Prince of Wales — and all that entails as heir to his fatherPrince Charles— Harry and Meghan will want to forge their own path, so it’s a natural time to split up their joint “court”, insiders believe. (The palace had no comment.)
“The arrival of Meghan has changed the dynamic of the relationship in a fairly significant way,” royals author Sally Bedell Smith previously told PEOPLE. “It is inevitable and practical because it gives Harry and Meghan some freedom to build up their own collection of interests and charities.”
“Meghan has very strong views on what she is interested in and that may be what Harry shares, but not what William and Kate share,” she added.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton and Prince William.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty
The foursome is, however, likely to keep their successful Royal Foundation, under which they organize their charitable endeavors and their groundbreaking mental health campaign, intact.
“They have brought many charities working in the same sector together to empower them and lend their positions,” Bedell Smith shared. “But they will increasingly follow their own respective interests.”
“Each of them will continue the very strong representative of the Queen in carrying out tasks and assignments that she, and probably their father, wants them to do,” she continued. “They are going to be sharing in this diffusion of activities on behalf of the Queen.”
source: people.com
