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Why Princess Eugenie moved out of Meghan and Harry's Windsor home

Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images
Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images

From Harper's BAZAAR

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to have relocated to California for good, they've still kept hold of their Windsor home, the newly renovated Frogmore Cottage, to maintain some roots in the UK. And, according to reports last year, the couple generously offered the five-bedroom house to Harry's cousin, Princess Eugenie, and her husband Jack Brooksbank, who are expecting their first child any time now.

Eugenie and Jack moved in, but just six weeks later, it was announced that Frogmore Cottage was empty once more. As reported by Vanity Fair, an insider said of the cottage: "It is empty again. Why does no one want to live in Frogmore Cottage? What is wrong with the place?"

In a recent royal podcast, The HeirPod, royal experts including Omid Scobie - the author of the unauthorised biography on Meghan and Harry, Finding Freedom - shed a bit more light on to all the to-ing and fro-ing. Speaking to Scobie, ABC News' London correspondent Maggie Rulli, said: "We saw something in the news a few weeks ago about how Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank had moved into Frogmore Cottage.

"Harry and Meghan had opened the doors to the home to the couple and then mysteriously there was a report that said they had moved out. And no one really knew exactly where they were."

Photo credit: GOR - Getty Images
Photo credit: GOR - Getty Images

Clarifying where Eugenie and Jack went, Scobie explained that the expectant parents had returned to the Royal Lodge, where Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice grew up, to spend the Christmas holidays with Eugenie's parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. "So I imagine that's probably where they will remain up until much later in the year," added Scobie.

The royal expert's explanation makes sense; with the coronavirus pandemic still rife and hitting a new peak across England, you can see why Princess Eugenie might want to move in with her parents ahead of the arrival of her first child. Becoming a parent can feel isolating when there's not a global health crisis going on outside, so embedding themselves in the family home for a few months sounds like a sensible move.

Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images
Photo credit: David M. Benett - Getty Images

The Royal Lodge is only a 15-minute drive away from Frogmore Cottage, so it's possible that Princess Eugenie and her family will move back into the house after the fog of having a newborn has lifted. Because, to be fair, it sounds like a pretty incredible place to isolate in.

The property was re-jazzed by the Sussexes back in 2019, a year before they made their move to Montecito in America. The sum spent on the home (a cool £2.4 million) was a topic of contention for a period of time, but the couple have since repaid the money using the funds earned from their Netflix deal, which they were able to sign after stepping away from their senior roles within the royal family.

Photo credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS - Getty Images
Photo credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS - Getty Images

Eugenie and Jack's baby announcement revealed their little one was expected in "early 2021". So, while we don't know the specific due date - the baby's arrival could be any day now, or it could still be some weeks off - what we do know is that soon enough there'll be another little royal baby joining the fold.

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