Beatrice and Eugenie’s Royal Housing Deal Raises Fresh Questions About Harry and Meghan’s Frogmore Exit
Royal housing has become a talking point again—and this time, Harry and Meghan are part of the conversation too.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie are clearly special to King Charles, and a recent National Audit Office investigation underscores that point. The report found that the York sisters' housing arrangements are supported through the King's private funds despite neither being working royals. The revelation has also drawn renewed comparisons to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from Frogmore Cottage, another royal housing arrangement that continues to attract attention.
As reported by The Mirror, the rent cost for the sisters' properties had been picked up by the Privy Purse, i.e., the King's private income from the Duchy of Lancaster. The report showed that properties rented by the Royal Household are adjusted to around 60% of the open market value for non-working members. That being said, the current rental rates are now 64% for Eugenie's Kensington Palace Cottage and 68% for Beatrice's St. James accommodation.
Interestingly, the NAO did not release the exact figures of how much the King paid. Former Liberal Democrat minister and finance expert, Norman Baker, opined, "There's no way that non-working members of the royal family should be subsidized by the Duchy of Lancaster."
Against that backdrop, the NAO report has renewed scrutiny over Harry and Markle's former residency at Frogmore Cottage, a wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth. After the Sussexes stepped down as senior royals, they were formally evicted in 2023, with a new report from The Sun confirming that plans to reverse their renovations were now in place.
Although their extensive revamps, including a private yoga studio and new ceiling beams and floor joists, cost taxpayers a lot of money, they reimbursed the costs. The contrast has prompted renewed discussion among royal watchers about how different housing arrangements are applied across the family, particularly given that the Sussexes lost access to Frogmore Cottage after stepping back from royal duties.
While doubts around favoritism, privilege, family politics, and accountability are all but natural, an analysis by GB News noted that housing arrangements vary depending on a royal's role, security requirements, and whether a property is needed for official duties. Beatrice and Eugenie are non-working royals by circumstance rather than choice, and have maintained a cordial relationship with the monarchy. Moreover, the York sisters alternate between the UK and their private residences, making royal accommodation more practically useful than Harry and Markle's full-time residency in the US.
On that note, after the Audit Office released its findings, a statement from a Palace spokesperson partly read, "As the report notes, arrangements for properties managed by the Royal Household vary based on a number of factors to ensure residences are filled appropriately, depending on their location, tenants, and purpose." Despite the official statement, comparisons between different members of the royal family continue to spark discussion, particularly as questions surrounding royal housing and funding remain under public scrutiny.
