Prince Harry moved out his family home in 2012, swapping Clarence House for a cottage on the site of Kensington Palace, but he admits he ‘cared’ about what happened to his old bedroom
Prince Harry says he âtried not to careâ about Queen Camillaâs move after he made a major life decision. Harry, 40, lived at Clarence House with his father, King Charles, until he was 28.
The Duke of Sussex is said to have swapped his room at his fatherâs home for a one-bedroom cottage on the Kensington Palace site. The palace is now the home of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their staff.
At the time Harryâs move was said to provide him âindependenceâ while giving him a âplace of his ownâ. In his book, Spare, Harry revealed Camilla, who celebrates her 77th birthday today, decided to redecorate his old bedroom after he moved out.
He recalls: âAfter I moved out, Camilla turned my bedroom into her dressing room. I tried not to care. But, especially the first time I saw it, I cared.â
The King and Queen currently use Clarence House as their main residence. It is estimated they will remain there until at least 2027 while Buckingham Palace is being renovated.
Harry lived at the property between 2003 and 2012. The property, a stoneâs throw away from St Jamesâ Palace, has been a popular home for the Royal Family throughout the years.
It was the first home of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. They moved into the property just after their marriage, remaining there until after the birth of Princess Anne in 1950.
However in her book The Palace Papers Inside the House of Windsor, the Truth and the Turmoil, author Tina Brown claims the Queen turned Harryâs room at Highgrove House into a dressing room. Highgrove, situated in Gloucestershire, is known as the King and Queenâs country home.
After leaving Clarence House, Harry settled into Nottingham Cottage, the home where he is said to have proposed to Meghan Markle. The couple subsequently moved to Frogmore Cottage shortly before the birth of Prince Archie.
In 2020 however, they made the decision to quit life in the United Kingdom and move to Montecito in California. Meghan has previously described the 16-bedroom property as a âsafe havenâ where the family can âfeel freeâ.
The propertyâs exterior is said to boast a swimming pool, tennis court, and roomy terrace complete with wood-fired stove and barbecue. The couple were said to be worried about the cost of the property when they first saw it.
Speaking to The Cut, Meghan said: âWe didnât have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house. It wasnât possible. Itâs like when I was younger and youâre window shopping â itâs like, I donât want to go and look at all the things that I canât afford. That doesnât feel good.â
Meghan says the couple âdid everything they couldâ to get their house. Known as The Chateau of Riven Rock, it is said to have cost the couple ÂŁ11.8 million.
