Harry and Meghan 'wanted Windsor Castle but got Frogmore Cottage', new book claims

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were hoping for a "suite of apartments at Windsor Castle" but were given Frogmore Cottage instead, according to a new book.

Harry and Meghan reportedly had a home in the heart of the Queen's Berkshire residence in their sights, but were left disappointed, Katie Nicholl writes in her book The New Royals.

"When Harry and Meghan announced their wish to move out of Kensington Palace, the Queen offered them Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Great Park as their new home," she wrote in an extract published in the Mail on Sunday.

A view of Frogmore Cottage on the Home Park Estate, Windsor. Photo / Getty Images

"This was not the suite of apartments at Windsor Castle they had hoped for. It was a generous gesture nonetheless, recalled Lady Elizabeth Anson, who died in 2020.

"'The cottage was a big deal,' she said. 'The Queen's entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage.

'It is essentially her back yard, her solitude, and her privacy. She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said, 'I hope they'll respect it'.

"In April 2019, the couple finally moved in. Then, the following month, Buckingham Palace announced a still more significant departure: Harry and Meghan were moving their royal household – effectively their office – from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace."

It was a significant move, particularly as it marked the end of William and Harry's "double act" - and was "deeply disappointing" for the Queen, Nicholl writes.

The royal editor has published one of two books which make bombshell claims about the royal family.

The second, Courtiers: The Hidden Power Behind the Crown by Valentine Low, claims Meghan believed marrying Prince Harry would make her the "Beyoncé of the UK" before realising she didn't like the strict rules of life as a royal.

The book also alleges that the Queen was forced to put her foot down over Megxit, telling the Sussexes that they were "either in or out" at the Sandringham summit where the royals met to decide Harry and Meghan's future.