Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s now demolished tiny cottage at Frogmore

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s now demolished tiny cottage at Frogmore The Frogmore estate where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex formerly lived was home to The Hermitage

Frogmore Cottage, the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is a far cry from their Montecito lifestyle with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The Sussexes famously resided in one of the more modest of the properties in the royal repertoire, though there was formerly another fairytale cottage on the estate that has gone unnoticed by royal fans.

The sprawling land in Windsor Park was once home to The Hermitage. The quaint countryside home was designed by Princess Elizabeth, the third daughter of George III, who passed away in 1840.

The Royal Collection Trust shared details of the cottage which has been memorialised in a beautiful watercolour drawing by Samuel Howitt.

Handcoloured copperplate engraving after an illustration by John Gendall from Rudolph Ackermann’s Repository of Arts, London, 1823
According to the artist, the property was “built in 1775 at the cost of £44,000”, while the artwork was acquired by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The Royal Collection Trust also revealed that according to a contemporary description of 1823, “the interior was lined with moss and was furnished with such accommodation as a recluse may be supposed to want – wooden utensils, rude seats, and a rough table, covered with an excellent imitations of fruit, while a picture of a venerable hermit graces one corner.”

Frogmore Cottage today
Though the Hermitage no longer stands, the Frogmore Cottage is very much still a gem in the crown of the royal property portfolio.

The home, which covers over 5,000 square feet, offers four bedrooms and a nursery, as well as four bathrooms. The renovation costs to transform it into such reportedly cost £2.4 million under the instruction of Prince William’s brother and sister-in-law and was covered by the Sovereign’s Grant.

Upon their upheaval to the United States, the royal and the former Suits actress repaid the costs.

The estate holds many memories for the couple as not only did they live there in their first married years, but the neighbouring Frogmore House provided the backdrop to their engagement photoshoot.

Princess Eugenie sub-let the home from Prince Harry from November 2020 to May 2022 when she reportedly vacated the property along with her husband Jack Brooksbank. The pair have since picked up sticks and moved to the Algarve.