For a brief period, it looked like Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank, were on track to welcome their first child while living at Frogmore Cottage. The Windsor residence had memorably been a gift from the Queen to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their wedding day. But after a renovation, a renovation reimbursement, and a California move, the home had been sitting noticeably empty as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continued to settle into their new life stateside.
Toward the end of last year, Princess Eugenie decamped to her cousin’s U.K. residence. On the surface, the move made sense. It was seemingly a generous familiar offer, and one which would allow the soon-to-be family of three to have more room. (Previously, Princess Eugenie and Brooksbank had been living in the smaller Ivy Cottage, which is located on the grounds of Kensington Palace.) Nonetheless, the expectant parents were reported to have left Frogmore after only six short weeks. At the time, their reasons were unclear.
That lack of public information was recently reiterated during an episode of the podcast HeirPod. Notably, the series is hosted by Omid Scobie, a coauthor of the unauthorized Sussexes biography, Finding Freedom. In the episode, ABC News London correspondent Maggie Rulli commented, “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.”
At this point, Scobie noted that he believed the couple was now living at Royal Lodge. The Royal Lodge is home to both of Princess Eugenie’s parents—Prince Andrew, who’s affiliation with Jeffrey Epstein effectively forced his early retirement from official royal duties, along with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York. Noting that Princess Eugenie and Brooksbank had spent the first U.K. quarantine and the Christmas holiday there, Scobie added, “So I imagine that’s probably where they will remain up until much later in the year.”
Since the episode aired, this particular tidbit has been covered by outlets such as Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan, and Tatler. And while it’s safe to assume that Royal Lodge will provide plenty of square footage and helping hands, not everyone would want to move back in with their parents.
