Frogmore Cottage is a historic
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
home on the
Frogmore
Frogmore is an estate within the Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in Berkshire, England. It comprises , of primarily private gardens managed by the Crown Estate. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and ...
estate, which is part of
Home Park in
Windsor, England. The cottage was described as a , four bedroom and nursery, four bathroom single-residence house in 2020.
Built in 1801 at the direction of
Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...
in the gardens near
Frogmore House, Frogmore Cottage is part of the
Crown Estate
The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole, making it "the sovereign's public estate", which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's priva ...
, the British monarch's public estate.
History
The cottage was originally known as Double Garden Cottage and was listed in
Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until her death in 1818. The Acts of Un ...
's 1801 accounts for her garden as having been built for £450 by a Mr Bowen.
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
had breakfast at the cottage on 28th June 1875 and noted an "immense number of little frogs" which she found "quite disgusting".
The cottage has been listed Grade II on the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...
since October 1975. The listing provides little of the history: "Early C19 plain 2 storey house with parapet. Centre break with porch. Glazing bar sashes. Stucco faced".
19th and 20th century occupants
The cottage was a retreat for
Charlotte, the queen consort of
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
, and her unmarried daughters.
The theologian
Henry James Sr. and his family lived at the cottage in the 1840s.
A personal secretary of Queen Victoria,
Abdul Karim, moved to Frogmore Cottage in 1897 with his wife and father.
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna in exile from her native Russia after the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...
stayed there in the 1920s.
21st century occupants
In the early 21st century, Frogmore Cottage was a series of five separate units housing Windsor estate workers. In 2019, it was provided to the
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
and
Duchess of Sussex as a
grace and favour
A grace-and-favour home is a residential property owned by a monarch, government, or other owner and leased rent-free to a person as part of the perquisites of their employment, or in gratitude for services rendered.
Usage of the term is chief ...
home by
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, and converted into a four-bedroom-and-nursery single-family home at a reported cost of £2.4 million from the
Sovereign Grant prior to the birth of their son,
Archie, in May 2019. As a property of a royal palace of state and designated heritage site, Frogmore Cottage was scheduled to be renovated in any event, regardless of occupant.
In January 2020, Buckingham Palace announced that the
Duke and Duchess of Sussex were stepping down as senior working members of the royal family and shared the couple's "wish to repay Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage" as they were relocating to North America. In September, £2.4 million was received, a part of which was offset against rental payments due. Subsequently, the existing licence to occupy the property was extended to March 2022. By 2023, the couple were well-settled in their new principal place of residence in
Montecito, California
Montecito (archaic use of Spanish for woodland or countryside) is an unincorporated town in Santa Barbara County, California, United States.McCormack, Don (1999). ''McCormack's Guides Santa Barbara and Ventura 2000''. Mccormacks Guides. p. 58. ...
, in the United States. The licence to occupy Frogmore was not re-extended, so they officially vacated.
Princess Eugenie
Princess Eugenie, Mrs Jack Brooksbank ( ; Eugenie Victoria Helena; born 23 March 1990) is a member of the British royal family. She is the younger daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Cha ...
- the younger daughter of
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York - and her husband,
Jack Brooksbank
Jack Christopher Stamp Brooksbank (born 3 May 1986) is a British marketing executive who is married to Princess Eugenie, a niece of King Charles III.
Early life and family
Brooksbank was born on 3 May 1986 at St Thomas' Hospital in Lambeth, L ...
, took up residence at the cottage in November 2020. In February 2022, the Duke of Sussex and his wife announced a desire to renew the licence to occupy, which would allow Harry to remain legally
domiciled in the UK for citizenship and immigration purposes. In May 2022, Eugenie reportedly vacated. In March 2023, it was reported that
her father (Andrew) had been offered Frogmore Cottage in exchange for surrendering his lease on the nearby thirty-room
Royal Lodge
Royal Lodge is a Grade II listed house in Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, England, half a mile north of Cumberland Lodge and south of Windsor Castle. The site of homes since the 17th century, the present structure dates from the 19th centur ...
in
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...
.
References
{{Royal palaces in the United Kingdom
1801 establishments in England
Grade II listed houses
Grade II listed buildings in Berkshire
Royal residences in England
Houses completed in 1801
Frogmore
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz