'It's just the start': Harry and Meghan's Frogmore Cottage eviction is 'tip of the iceberg' of slimmed-down monarchy
24 March 2023, 21:09 | Updated: 24 March 2023, 21:11
Harry and Meghan's eviction from Frogmore Cottage is 'just the start' of King Charles' slimmed-down monarchy.
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Charles is understood to be shaking up royal finances as part of his plans to slim down the monarchy, with the eviction of Harry and Meghan being the "tip of the iceberg".
The move means family members will no longer get mates' rates on Crown properties, according to the Evening Standard.
There is set to be an end to any subsidised rents - even for some working royals - with the King telling them to pay for all of their homes and "cut their cloth" by 2028.
A source said: "The King is not some sort of housing association for distant relatives."
Another added: "Properties will be let at commercial rates going forward and to people outside the family. Where it is in a palace environment they will of course be security vetted."
It comes after Harry and Meghan were issued an eviction notice within 24 hours of the release of Harry's tell-all memoir Spare, in which he exposed details of family feuds over the years.
Prince Andrew is also said to have been "evicted" from his 30-room royal mansion amid the King's plans to cut his £249,000 annual allowance.
Charles ordered a review of how money is spent following the death of the Queen in September last year.
The late monarch had continued to support Andrew with private funds from the Duchy of Lancaster but Charles is believed to be keen to avoid these kind of costs falling on the royal household.
Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal duties in 2020, moving over to the US.
They have still not officially indicated whether they will attend the King's coronation in May or not, but staff are understood to be planning for the eventuality that they attend.
If they do come to the UK for the event, they are expected to stay at Frogmore one last time before removing the rest of their belongings.
Read more: Prince Harry's drug use could threaten his US visa, lawyer says
Former MP Norman Baker, an expert on royal finances, told MailOnline: "It is absolutely right that the monarchy should slim down. It is bloated and way more expensive than any other, than all other European monarchies.
"However what is suggested here looks reasonably superficial.
"The test is not whether there are fewer royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony, but whether the call upon public funds goes down, and whether Charles and William start paying tax properly.
"If he is serious, Charles can start by agreeing to pay inheritance tax on the private possessions left to him by the Queen rather than exempting himself at a cost of millions to the taxpayer."
