Omid Scobie accuses King Charles of evicting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from Frogmore Cottage in ‘cheap shot’ to ‘punish’ the couple for their bombshell Netflix series

King Charles removing Frogmore Cottage from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was a ‘cheap shot’ to ‘punish’ the couple, according to a new book by Omid Scobie.

Mr Scobie writes in Endgame that sources confirmed a ‘significant’ part of the reason for Charles evicting the Sussexes was ‘undoubtedly’ a punishment after the Netflix series came out last December with a series of attacks on the Royal Family.

The author said a source told him there was a ‘feeling of shock and disappointment’ from Harry and Meghan on the day they were told they would be losing the property.

Mr Scobie claimed Frogmore was the Sussexes’ ‘only truly safe option when visiting the United Kingdom’ because its grounds are surrounded by armed guards – and the couple could no longer access royal protection, even if they paid for it themselves.

Several days after finding out they would lose the home, Harry was said to have spoken to his father over the phone, saying: ‘Do you want to see your grandchildren?’

Frogmore Cottage is located on the Home Park Estate near Windsor Castle in Berkshire (file)

King Charles III attends a  welcome for South Korea’s president in London on November 21

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the Invictus Games in The Hague on  April 17, 2022

Charles is said to have been silent before a ‘half-hearted declaration that they would always have ‘somewhere to stay’.’

But Mr Scobie said this ‘didn’t give Harry much hope’, according to a royal source.

It was then reported that the disgraced Prince Andrew had been offered Frogmore Cottage instead, which Mr Scobie said was the ‘final blow’.

He wrote: ‘For Charles, the issue of Frogmore Cottage wasn’t just about punishing his son, though sources say that ‘undoubtedly’ played a significant role.

‘It was also part of the effort to streamline the portfolio of properties being used by members of the family.’

Harry and Meghan were asked to move remaining possessions out of their UK home in Windsor just weeks after Harry also criticised his family in his book Spare in January. 

Mr Scobie added: ‘Staying mum about Harry’s accusations and remaining publicly unconcerned for his son’s wellbeing while ending his family’s lease on a safe UK residence was not a decisive action by a resolute King.

Royal author Omid Scobie gave an interview broadcast on ABC’s Good Morning America today

William, Harry, Meghan and Charles speak together at Westminster Abbey in March 2019

‘It was a cheap shot from a wounded father bound by an institutional system that is often intolerant of human emotion’. 

Grade-II listed Frogmore which is located near Windsor Castle in Berkshire was a gift to the couple from Harry’s grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2019, royal accounts showed Meghan and Harry paid £2.4million to cover the refurbishment and rental of Frogmore Cottage, on the Home Park Estate.

They only used the property a handful of times since relocating to the US in 2020 after stepping down as working royals.

In June, Buckingham Palace confirmed at the annual Sovereign Grant account briefing on royal finances that Harry and Meghan had ‘vacated Frogmore Cottage’

The Palace refused to be drawn on whether Andrew would be leaving his Royal Lodge home in Windsor Great Park and move to Frogmore.