Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Rejected By Queen Elizabeth After This Heartfelt Request
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a heartfelt request of Queen Elizabeth after marrying, one that was rejected, leaving the couple reportedly heartbroken.
The royals reportedly asked if they could live at Windsor Castle with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, reported The Daily Express. The queen reportedly said no.
“The couple was understood to have set their hearts at first on Windsor Castle, and are believed to have asked the Queen if living quarters could be made available after their marriage,” reported The Mirror.
The Daily Express cited broadcaster Hugo Vickers, who revealed that the couple’s request to live at Windsor would not have been “entirely appropriate.”
“There are empty bedrooms and suites in the private apartments within Windsor Castle which the Sussexes may have had their eye on, or perhaps some former living quarters in the castle grounds converted into other things. But I can see how it might not be entirely appropriate to have a young family living there,” he explained.
The request came after the couple decided to move from Harry’s former home, Nottingham Cottage, located on the grounds of Kensington Palace several months after their May 2018 wedding. Instead, Queen Elizabeth gave the couple Frogmore Cottage to call their home, located in the town of Windsor, 25 miles outside of London.
The couple found their eventual move to Frogmore Cottage more sentimental, as their engagement photos and wedding reception were both held on the expansive grounds of the home.
After Markle and the prince announced that the former Suits star was pregnant with their first child in October 2018, they set out to renovate the home, which was in dire need of repairs.
The Daily Express reported that the couple came under fire for spending taxpayer money to foot the bill for the extensive remodel of the abode’s interior and exterior, at the cost of almost $3 million.
The controversy surrounding the couple’s move continues. The Daily Express reported that because the home is surrounded by a public area and is close enough to the main road to pose a security risk for the family, extensive building and security arrangements have been set in place to protect the royals, at an estimated cost of over $5 million for their first year of living there.
Ken Wharfe, former royal protection officer to Princess of Wales and the royal family, stated to The Mirror that the property is exposed on almost every side. He cited that costs to the British taxpayer could have been substantially avoided if the couple decided to remain at Harry’s former bachelor home, which had two bedrooms, at Kensington Palace.
