Sussex Residences

[tommy100]

The aerial pic is Frogmore Cottage and given we have always known it was home to 5 families before we shouldn't be surprised it is so big. I have read in numerous places that Nottingham cottage is actually a 4 bedroom comfortably sized house. York Cottage on Sandringham estate is anything but tiny by normal standards, only cottage size by royal standards.

 

[Somebody]

Does anyone know what the smaller structure close the cottage is currently used for (upper right corner on the aerial view)?

 

[royal-blue]

Are the Sussexes likely to stay at Frogmore Cottage during the next two reigns? Clarence House could still be an option for a London base in the future.

 

[Osipi]

This is a couple who value their privacy immensely and have proven they will go above and beyond to protect that (something to do with unauthorised photos during the Caribbean wedding of Harry’s friend ‘Skippy’). I doubt they purposely chose a home with public footpaths (even though the estate on which croaking-frogmore-cottage is based, is open for public tours only at certain times of the year)... Nice place though if you disregard the noise from low flying planes nearby and croaking frogs. The estate itself serves as a royal cemetery but the dead don’t make noise despite persisting rumours of the place being haunted. The ‘kind hearted’ queen most likely allocated or ‘gifted’ the couple the home same as she has done the others. No one can accuse tq of unfairness or a boring sense of humour!!?



The structure seems different and resembles a country pile compared to what I’ve seen of the official images of ‘Frogmore Cottage’. And I’ve seen quite a few ‘shots’, aerial views that purport to be that of the cottage when they’re anything but. Same as the sudden spate of new articles providing revisionist accounts of British royals who supposedly lived there at some point.

If Harry and Meghan didn't like Frogmore Cottage, they wouldn't have decided to move there. As far as the Queen "gifting" the cottage, I believe its more along the lines that the Queen has assented to the Crown Estate leasing the property to Harry and Meghan much like Edward and Sophie and Andrew all hold leases to other properties on the Windsor estate.

It doesn't surprise me that there have been other people with ties to the British royal family or even royals themselves that have used the cottage before. That property has been part of the Crown Estate since it was built.

As far as the roar of the jets heading into Heathrow, for all we know, Harry and Meghan can use them instead of alarm clocks. "There's the 8:05 AM flight arriving from Spain. Time to get up and let the dogs out."

 

[Lady Reem]

Oh yes, a banished Russian royal and a home for staffers of sorts throughout its ‘ British Royal’ existence . Intriguing

It doesn't surprise me that there have been other people with ties to the British royal family or even royals themselves that have used the cottage before. That property has been part of the Crown Estate since it was built.

I’m not buying into the other stuff that past British Royals resided there (first it was said a haughty Queen lived there, and that’s been thoroughly disputed)

 

[Osipi]

I’m not buying into the other stuff that past British Royals resided there (first it was said a haughty Queen lived there, and that’s been thoroughly disputed)

I don't think it really matters who lived there before. What matters is who is going to live there now. Previous to Will and Kate moving into Amner Hall, it was leased out to a furniture company.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

WOW! What a cottage!

Exactly! In a gorgeous setting too. And as we know, Windsor holds special meaning for the Sussexes. We can see their joy in the below wedding engagement photo as they stroll through the idyllic setting around Frogmore House, not far from Frogmore Cottage:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc94pLODFLd/?utm_source=ig_embed

In retrospect, this picture tells us all we need to know about H&M's love for Windsor and the Frogmore environs.

 

[Fros]

https://i.postimg.cc/brJWtRLV/0943-F64-A-7-EEB-49-CE-9-AB0-FBF1-CE4-B9-EB4.jpg

Seems to be a recent shot of Frogmore Cottage.

Looks like a lovely good sized home for the Sussex family.

It seems to have some solarium like set up at the back facing east so watching the sunrise above the grounds of Frogmore must be a sight to behold every morning.

There also seems to be some buildings right next to it that can be converted to a house for guests and staff in the future. It's easy to see why they chose Frogmore Cottage.

 

[jacqui24]

That’s a gorgeous view in that aerial photo. So royals are like Vanderbilts with their “Cottage”.

 

[Pranter]

I am betting they are gonna have some sort of home gym..maybe one of the outbuildings?


Seems like I remember reading some of the plans for reno included a glass enclosure or something.


LaRae

 

[Iluvbertie]

Frogmore House is open on three charity days each year - next one is in June 2019.

It is also open to booked groups of 15 or more every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday in August.

I am sure that the Sussexes can avoid being their on the Charity Days and will spend most of August away from the estate as well if they want to avoid the possibility of being seen by the ordinary British public. August is Balmoral month anyway so possibly they will simply decamp to there or the US to be with Meghan's mother or to somewhere warm for a holiday - as many other British people do.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

^^ Yes, the tourism is restricted. And I'm sure a lot of security measures will be taken regarding the Sussexes moving into Frogmore Cottage. I would imagine even some of the overhead planes might be rerouted because I thought there was generally no-fly zones over royal residences. In addition, some of the renovations may involve indoor soundproofing, if deemed necessary.

Regarding public access to the grounds, Windsor Great Park is huge. The area around Windsor Castle and Frogmore House is surely restricted and off-limits most of the time. People who say they have access to walking their dogs, must be speaking of other parts of Windsor Great Park that are public areas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Great_Park

I wouldn't worry about the footpaths or anything else regarding the Sussexes' security. I'm quite sure Harry, the RPOs and the royals in general are well on top of ensuring their privacy and security. There are surely going to be changes and beefed-up security once the Sussexes move into Frogmore Cottage.

In retrospect, this engagement photo of Meghan & Harry strolling through the idyliic setting near Frogmore House tells us a lot about their love of Windsor and Frogmore environs:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc94pLODFLd/?utm_source=ig_embed

I'm linking again that lovely tourist video of Frogmore House and environs from June 2016. At about 5:53 toward the end of the video, we see a brief view of the front of Frogmore Cottage. It certainly looks in need of some sprucing up and some extensive curb appeal for the front door, etc. We are unlikely to be able to see an 'after' photo once the renovations are complete.

 

[MARG]

It is a lovely cottage, but I'm still worried about that public footpath so close. I'm sure plans are in motion to address it, however, I'm still so uncomfortable with that aspect of it.

I am aware that the choice of Frogmore Cottage has surprised many who thought they had it all sorted but nowhere in all that debating was Frogmore Cottage raised. At some stage it had been turned into 5 flats by only 2 were occupied as it was too far from everything to entice even most staff.

HM has always maintained Frogmore was the family's special place and since the Castle and grounds are open to the public for large amounts of time Frogmore, that Estate within Windsor, was not open to the public except for garden enthusiasts three days a year. All tours are guided and nobody can just wander off.

So, the internal road by the Cottage is a private road used by gardeners, etc. and I am sure that with things being the way they are, another layer of security will be in place when the Sussexes move in.

I love old houses and this one is a beauty. From a home for a lesser royal to a sixteen bedroom bachelor annex for hunting season and then, after WWII, divided into flats and now it is returning to its original purpose.

I think HM was reluctant to have anyone other than staff there because it is within that wonderful Frogmore park where they would all picnic and play and relax in privacy when the children were young.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Right, there are a number of wonderful photos from the 1960s and 1970s of QEII, Pip, and their growing family walking and posing for photographs around Windsor and Frogmore grounds.

 

[muriel]

I'm linking again that lovely tourist video of Frogmore House and environs from June 2016. At about 5:53 toward the end of the video, we see a brief view of the front of Frogmore Cottage. It certainly looks in need of some sprucing up and some extensive curb appeal for the front door, etc. We are unlikely to be able to see an 'after' photo once the renovations are complete.

Many thanks for identifying and sharing that clip. H&M should consider themselves very fortunate to be given the chance to reside at Frogmore Cottage.

 

[MARG]

Personally, I think they hit the jackpot and once they drive out the gates there are five different exits from Windsor Great Park and I hop Jobson and his mates are always at the wrong one.

 

[Iluvbertie]

^^ Yes, the tourism is restricted. And I'm sure a lot of security measures will be taken regarding the Sussexes moving into Frogmore Cottage. I would imagine even some of the overhead planes might be rerouted because I thought there was generally no-fly zones over royal residences.

Windsor Castle itself is directly under the flight path to Heathrow so they won't be re-routing the flightpaths over Frogmore when they haven't done so for the Queen's own private residence let alone those of her family.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Not sure why you added the final part. Probably you confused me with someone else. Of course they will be fine. They won't take a risk and will want to ensure their privacy. I have always stated that they surely will find a solution.

The final comment is not directed towards anyone, it was put after a separation in my response to your quoted post.

 

[Lady Reem]

I am aware that the choice of Frogmore Cottage has surprised many who thought they had it all sorted but nowhere in all that debating was Frogmore Cottage raised. At some stage it had been turned into 5 flats by only 2 were occupied as it was too far from everything to entice even most staff.

HM has always maintained Frogmore was the family's special place and since the Castle and grounds are open to the public for large amounts of time Frogmore, that Estate within Windsor, was not open to the public except for garden enthusiasts three days a year. All tours are guided and nobody can just wander off.

So, the internal road by the Cottage is a private road used by gardeners, etc. and I am sure that with things being the way they are, another layer of security will be in place when the Sussexes move in.

I love old houses and this one is a beauty. From a home for a lesser royal to a sixteen bedroom bachelor annex for hunting season and then, after WWII, divided into flats and now it is returning to its original purpose.

I think HM was reluctant to have anyone other than staff there because it is within that wonderful Frogmore park where they would all picnic and play and relax in privacy when the children were young.

Yes so nice to live and raise little children in, AND that ‘precious’ to the royal family I wonder why the queen’s children Andrew or Edward and their families aren’t already living there given they reside in Windsor. Or did at some point. ?

 

[Osipi]

Yes so nice to live and raise little children in I wonder why the queen’s children Andrew or Edward and their families aren’t already living there given they reside in Windsor. Or did at some point. ?

Andrew took over the lease at Royal Lodge after the Queen Mother passed away. She lived there until the time of her death. It was already pretty set to be a royal residence and Andrew, himself, took care of renovations that needed to be done and that was considered by the Crown Estate in figuring out what his long lease on the property would be.

It simply could be that Edward and Sophie liked Bagshot Park which is a pretty nice estate in and of itself. At that time, Royal Lodge wasn't available as Grandma lived there.

Anne had her property of Gatcombe Park since her marriage to Mark Phillips in the 1970s. She still lives there and has developed the property to further her love with working with horses.

Charles preferred the area of Highgrove which was purchased by the Duchy of Cornwall. He also has the use of Birkhall on the Balmoral estate in Scotland.

So, there wasn't a need to look at Frogmore Cottage until now. Its almost as if its been sitting there just waiting for Harry and Meghan to come along and make it a home again. Just as Anmer Hall was waiting for Will and Kate to make it a home again.

The Queen and the Crown Estate are pragmatic people and found uses for these properties that generated income until they were needed as residences. The Crown Estate actually owns a *lot* of property that generates quite a bit of income of which a percentage each year is given to the Queen as the Sovereign Grant.

 

[AdmirerUS]

I agree Osipi, there is more than a bit of if and when it is available, if we need it we will do something with it. Until then, we will rent it, let staff use it, use it for storage.

Off topic, but I have always wondered how often the BRF and staff take a strategic look at the property they own or leasehold and do some kind of strategic planning. At the time of the Windsor fire, I think they were not doing strategic planning beyond "lets cross our fingers and hold off repairs until..." I think the fire brought home to them that maintenance has to be done and that if you can plan for it, you can manage the cost over time. You can at least have ten year plans for what it makes sense to prioritize and how much you can spend.

Off topic and on a private note, I know you are hunkered down for the storm and have been thinking about you.

 

[Osipi]

Off topic, but I have always wondered how often the BRF and staff take a strategic look at the property they own or leasehold and do some kind of strategic planning. At the time of the Windsor fire, I think they were not doing strategic planning beyond "lets cross our fingers and hold off repairs until..." I think the fire brought home to them that maintenance has to be done and that if you can plan for it, you can manage the cost over time. You can at least have ten year plans for what it makes sense to prioritize and how much you can spend.

I don't think it's off topic to ask this question as Frogmore Cottage is part and parcel of the properties that come under investigation into this.

Actually, I don't believe the BRF and staff have anything to do with looking at these properties strategically. All of this would fall under the jurisdiction of the Crown Estate which is run by its own CEO and staff. Harry and Meghan will be leasing Frogmore Cottage from the Crown Estate with a contract that basically every renter or home owner has to procure to make it all legal.

The Queen actually is just assenting for the go ahead for the Crown Estate to lease Frogmore Cottage to the Sussex family. The Crown Estate is responsible for maintaining and upkeep of the buildings such as the structures and such but internal renovations such as decor are paid for by the people that will live there. We saw this with Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace for the Cambridges. This is a good article that delves deeply into the Windsor fire. It states:

"The problems did not end with the extinction of the fire. The castle is owned by the government and not the royal family and there were moves at the time for the taxpayer to foot the bill of the restoration because the building was not insured. Neither was it subject to the Fire Precautions Act 1971 due to Crown immunity. This was not the first case where the issue had been raised and uninsured losses due to fire in the Crown estate was significant – over £200 million between 1985 and 1990 including the £181 million loss at a single major fire at a Ministry of Defence Depot in Shropshire."

https://www.fire-magazine.com/the-day-the-castle-burned-windsor-castle-fire

With all of this in mind, its no wonder that with the Sussexes deciding on moving into Frogmore Cottage, they are going to make sure that there will be no danger or a repeat of what happened with Windsor Castle.

Interesting stuffs if you ask me. ?

 

[Susan D]

While wishing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex well, I feel that the European royal families have a cost issue and it is partly the cost of the juniors where, allegedly, there is no Monarch's younger child who is self-supporting and does not live off the State or the family's private loot as in a few places. Why do the Duke and Duchess of Sussex need a country home? Will it be the main residence the way that Princess Alexandra of Kent lives in Richmond and is said to have rooms, but not a home, in London?

 

[Osipi]

Harry and Meghan will be taking out a lease on Frogmore Cottage through the Crown Estate and I wouldn't classify them as living off someone else's "loot". Andrew pays on a lease for Royal Lodge, Sophie and Edward pay on a lease for Bagshot Park and even rent out part of the estate to help meet costs.

Harry and Meghan are full time working royals for the family "Firm" and because of this, their expenses for work related events and such are met by Charles. Charles also covers the work expenses of the Cambridges. The Queen subsidizes the rest of the family that serves the "Firm" for work related expenses from the Sovereign Grant she receives each year.

All of the BRF most likely have hefty bank accounts with a lot of their personal assets in investments. They really don't have to do the 9-5 thing for a paycheck to put food on the table. They are self supporting and don't receive handouts from the general taxpayer at all. In fact, the *only* thing that the taxpayer pays directly for is for royal security which is funded through the Metropolitan Police Department/Scotland Yard.

 

[Somebody]

While wishing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex well, I feel that the European royal families have a cost issue and it is partly the cost of the juniors where, allegedly, there is no Monarch's younger child who is self-supporting and does not live off the State or the family's private loot as in a few places. Why do the Duke and Duchess of Sussex need a country home? Will it be the main residence the way that Princess Alexandra of Kent lives in Richmond and is said to have rooms, but not a home, in London?

Not sure whether you were referencing the British royal family or the European royal families.

Former queen Beatrix' sons were/are doing fine (as are their cousins). In Belgium prince Lorenz was and is taking care of the family's income while Astrid represents her brother at times and also receives a dotation to do so. Nonetheless, they would be ok without the latter.

However, in the UK they expect them to work for the firm and you cannot both expect them to work for the firm and to be self-supporting. Would Andrew do the kind of things he does for the UK but instead represent a company, he would be earning good money...

 

[Fros]

This is an older photo of Frogmore cottage property but I wonder what the building circled is in the backyard, it still exists in the most recent pictures of the property.

I initially thought it might be a greenhouse but it's right under the shade of the tree which is probably not an ideal location for a green house.

 

[Ista]

This is an older photo of Frogmore cottage property but I wonder what the building circled is in the backyard, it still exists in the most recent pictures of the property.

I initially thought it might be a greenhouse but then it's right under the shade of the tree which is probably not an ideal location for a green house.

I was wondering if it is a greenhouse as well. In the photo that was posted earlier in the thread that shows a closer view, it is very hard to tell if it's a greenhouse or something that has been used to house staff at some point.

 

[Terri Terri]

Maybe this building can be used for staff? I would imagine that they will need a housekeeper/chef, nanny and at least 2 RPOs. The main house of itself looks big enough for Doria to have a suite for herself.

 

[csw]

https://i.postimg.cc/brJWtRLV/0943-F64-A-7-EEB-49-CE-9-AB0-FBF1-CE4-B9-EB4.jpg

Seems to be a recent shot of Frogmore Cottage.

I'm so happy you posted this. I take back what I said about it being ugly.

 

[hel]

This is an older photo of Frogmore cottage property but I wonder what the building circled is in the backyard, it still exists in the most recent pictures of the property.

I initially thought it might be a greenhouse but it's right under the shade of the tree which is probably not an ideal location for a green house.

I'm quite sure that it's the building referred to as "The Studio" in the planning documents I posted earlier. In the spring, they'd intended to build an extension to it to create a 1 bedroom dwelling.

"Within the ground of the Cottage, only a short distance away is an interesting building, known as The Studio. Externally the building appears to be a simple brick outbuilding with little interest. However internally the studio has original features such as a fire place, red tiled flooring, original light switches and what appears to be pink marble on the northern wall. The ceiling is high and the roof structure is exposed. The building is currently unused and in a state of disrepair with concerns over structure due to a large tree growing next to the building"