Prince Ricardo De La Cerda
PRINCE Harry is set to lose a major royal role after being evicted from Frogmore cottage, an expert has revealed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex today returned their keys to King Charles — six months after getting their eviction notice.
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Their remaining possessions at the pile were shipped to their California mansion just ahead of tomorrow’s deadline.
They will no longer have a UK home and may have to rely on hotels or friends if they visit.
However, the fact that the couple have no British residence also means Harry will miss out on an important royal role.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun: “Losing their UK home without a replacement is a huge deal.
“The most important aspect as far as Harry is concerned is that it means he can no longer act as a counsellor of state.
“That’s hugely important because in theory he had the right, in the event of the king being incapacitated, to do this.
“Although he is no longer a working royal he still had this right – and by not having a UK residence he has now thrown this opportunity away.
“But of course it does seem that Harry, and Meghan, don’t care at all about the UK.
“They have no interest in their popularity or taking on roles here – they just care about their US audience.
“But it means if they don’t have a UK residence when William ascends to the throne then he will be unable to support his brother – not that he does that now.”
It comes after the Earl of Wessex and the Princess Royal were made Counsellors of State last year.
Five-bed, Grade II-listed Frogmore — given a £2.4million makeover by the Sussexes — is now set to be rented out.
Aides will not say whether Prince Andrew will leave 31-room Royal Lodge to move in.
It is understood the Duke of York is resisting and has a 75-year lease on his current home.
Harry and Meghan lived at the cottage, a wedding gift from Queen Elizabeth, for just six months.
The Duke of Sussex last stayed there when he was in court as a witness in a phone-hacking trial at the beginning of the month.
The Sun understands the Sussexes would have to reach a “private agreement” with Charles if they wanted to stay at any royal homes again.
But they are barely on speaking terms after their Netflix series and Harry’s tell-all memoir Spare.
The Sun revealed the Sussexes were served with an eviction notice days after the book was published.
Mr Fitzwilliam added: “I don’t think it’s any coincidence that they were told to vacate as soon as Spare came out.
“Obviously this was a very, very, clear signal from the firm that they were fighting back because the book caused a lot of embarrassment for the royal family.”