King Charles’ choice to kick Harry and Meghan out of Frogmore Cottage ‘like ripping off a Band Aid’

King Charles’s decision to evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage was like “ripping off a Band-Aid”.

Sources have told the Mail that the monarch has found the implosion of his relationship with his youngest son “extremely painful”.

The decision to ask the couple to leave their Windsor home was apparently a difficult one for the King as well, particularly as he did not wish to add fuel to the fire of their ongoing feud.

But after Harry and Meghan’s repeated barrages at the family over the past year, particularly their Netflix series and the prince’s memoir, the King and his team felt they had no choice but to act.

It comes after It was reported yesterday that Charles started eviction proceedings on January 11 – the day after the release of Harry’s highly critical book, Spare.

Sources have told the Mail that the monarch has found the implosion of his relationship with his youngest son ‘extremely painful’

Speaking about the decision to start the process, a source said: “It felt like it would be like taking off a Band-Aid.” Painful, but once it’s done, it’s done.

The house has already been offered to Prince Andrew, who is said to be resisting pressure to “downsize” the seven-bedroom Royal Lodge.

The King is understood to be particularly interested in resolving many of the lingering issues remaining around Harry, Meghan and Andrew ahead of their coronation, which have “dragoned on” for far too long.

Buckingham Palace still refused to comment today on the decision to ask the Sussexes to pack up their remaining belongings from their five-bedroom cottage in Windsor earlier in the summer.

It is understood that they had initially been asked to resign when their lease was renewed next month, but had been given a stay of execution.

However, a spokesperson for the couple officially confirmed this week that they had been “asked to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage”, a sign of their shock and anger at the move.

The latest twist in the Windsors’ ongoing war suggests there is even more doubt about their appearance at the King’s coronation on May 6.

There were also questions tonight, about whether the Crown Estate, which leases Frogmore from the Sussexes, might actually end up owing the couple money.

Queen Elizabeth gave Harry and Meghan the use of Frogmore Cottage in 2018 amid her explosive falling out with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Originally five dilapidated staff residences, these were converted into a large house with a private garden initially using £2.4 million in taxpayers’ money. The couple themselves paid for anything beyond the basic fixtures and fittings.

But they spent just six months in the house before moving to North America, first to Canada and then to California, where they bought an £11 million mansion in Montecito.

Queen Elizabeth gave Harry and Meghan use of Frogmore Cottage in 2018 amid her explosive row with the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Despite several public statements by Harry that he now sees his future in the US, he and Meghan decided to reimburse the Crown Estate for the cost of the renovations in a deal that included leasing Frogmore Cottage for an unspecified number of years.

The couple claimed it would mean “their family would always have a place to call home in the UK” as they pursued lucrative business deals abroad.

More importantly, the Sussexes also felt that paying back public money that had been spent on Frogmore would deflect continued criticism.

Last year, royal officials confirmed Harry and Meghan were completely “financially independent” and said the couple’s decision to return Frogmore’s £2.4m represented a “good deal” for taxpayers.

According to the Palace’s annual accounts, the lump sum they transferred to cover the redevelopment of their former marital home on the Queen’s estate also included undisclosed future rental costs.

The couple were also said to be funding general upkeep on their former home, such as garden upkeep, with the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant effectively acting as the ‘owner’, carrying out larger works, such as anything that needs to be done in The exterior of the Grade II listed property.

A senior royal source said the rent had been calculated independently and based on market values.

‘I can be sure that this is a good deal for both the Sovereign Grant and the taxpayer,’ they added.

But if the Sussexes have paid several years of rent in advance, the sudden termination of their lease has raised questions in royal circles about whether they should be paid back.

The couple agreed to prepay in anticipation that they would return to the UK regularly despite settling in California to see family and friends.

But the implosion of their relationships with the senior royals has meant that they have rarely returned in the past three years.

And the decision to terminate your lease, whether you like it or not, could provoke an aggressive response. It has been reported that a ‘flurry of letters’ has been passing between the Sussex team and the Palace in recent weeks.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.