King Charles decided to take Frogmore Cottage from Harry and Meghan after he became aware of the prince's comments about stepmother Camilla in his memoir.
It is reported that King Charles thinks his youngest son "crossed a line" with the attacks in his book Spare and was outraged by the slew of Harry’s accusations, such as his claim that the Queen Consort was responsible for leaking stories to the press.
The duke also referred to his stepmother as "the villain" in TV interviews promoting his book. The monarch then decided to take immediate action after he was told about the accusations by aides revealing details from the explosive book, writes The Mirror.
It is said King Charles began the eviction process to remove Harry and Meghan from the five-bedroom Frogmore Cottage back in January - the day after the memoir was published.
Royal insiders say that this has caused "irreparable damage" to Harry’s relationship with his father and brother Prince William. Harry told of his fears that Camilla would turn into a “wicked stepmother”.
Harry then admitted that he eventually only wanted Camilla to be happy so she could be less “dangerous”.
In a TV interview, Harry added: “She was the villain. She was the third person in their marriage. She needed to rehabilitate her image.”
Royal sources have said the King was 'outraged' by the accusation that Camilla had plotted to marry him.
Harry said in the book: “Shortly after our private meetings with her, she began to develop her long-term strategy, a campaign directed at marriage and... the Crown (with the blessing of our father, we supposed).”
He added: “Stories started appearing in all the newspapers about her conversations with Willy, stories which recounted lots of small details, none of which came from my brother.”
An insider said: “It was the last straw. Harry was well aware how Camilla would be a red line for his father and he crossed with flagrant disregard anyway. The King felt without a doubt it crossed a line – it was the ultimate act of disrespect.”
It is said that the King has given Harry and Meghan until after the Coronation in May to remove their things from Frogmore Cottage after offering the residence to his brother, disgraced Prince Andrew.
However, the Duke of York does not want to leave his lavish 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in the shadow of Windsor Castle, despite the King insisting on budget cuts to royal finances that would leave Andrew, 63, unable to pay for the mansion’s upkeep.
In 2020, when Harry and wife Meghan moved to the US after stepping back from their royal roles, the couple said that Frogmore Cottage would remain their base when they visited the UK.
That year, a spokesman said the pair had repaid £2.4million in taxpayers’ money that was used to renovate the home when they were working members of the Royal Family.
Insiders are believed to be “stunned” by the turn of events and any expectation the Sussexes will attend the Coronation have now “drastically changed”.
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