Harry & Meghan's New Home - Frogmore Cottage

Announcing The New Tab "Frogmore Cottage" On This Blog- See Menu Under Header Photo

Frogmore Cottage is located in  “Frogmore House and Gardens”, part of Windsor Home Park and about half a mile south of Windsor Castle.

The original Frogmore House was built in 1680 by Charles II’s architect Hugh May. The land was on the estates of Great and Little Frogmore which were bought by Henry VIII in the sixteenth century.

Frogmore Cottage

Frogmore House has been a royal residence since 1792 when George III’s wife Queen Charlotte purchased the lease. Charlotte used the property for herself and unmarried daughters when the moods and reported instability of the King left the ladies needing a bit of quiet!

After Queen Charlotte’s death in 1818, Frogmore House passed onto her daughter Princess Augusta and then subsequently to Queen Victoria’s mother the Duchess of Kent in 1840. Two years before her death the Duchess asked Victoria’s consort Prince Albert to organise a mausoleum be built in the gardens for her.

In time a Mausoleum was built for Prince Albert in 1871 and then his widow joined him in 1901.

Notably, Queen Victoria’s beloved dog Dash is buried in the grounds.

South of this mausoleum is the Frogmore Royal Burial Ground where members of the royal family have been buried since it’s consecration in 1928. The Duke of Windsor ( aka abdicated Edward VIII) , his wife The Duchess of Windsor ( formerly Wallis Simpson that other American divorcee!) are also buried here.

A series of royal relatives have lived in the main House over the following years and in the 1980s a repair, restoration and redecoration project was undertaken. This is where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held their evening wedding reception in 2018 and was also the location for their engagement photos in 2017.

Frogmore Cottage ( Harry and Meghan's new home) was built in 1801 at the instigation of Queen Charlotte. Over the years the Cottage has housed some interesting tenants!

Queen Victoria’s Indian servant Abdul Karim, his wife and father took up residence in 1897. The exiled Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia resided here in the 1920s.

Most recently, Frogmore Cottage was divided into five separate apartments for Windsor estate workers. Now, builders have been feverishly transforming it into a modern, comfortable residence befitting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Fireplaces, staircases, shutters and a floating floor over the existing floorboards are being added. A yoga studio, nursery and accomodation for a nanny are also planned. Total cost is estimated to be in the region of £ 3 million. Renovation costs will be met by the Sovereign Grant ( i.e. the taxpayer) but furnishings will be paid by the couple themselves.

High tech security systems are planned to keep the family safe and a £ 50,000 green energy unit will provide heat, hot water and electricity.

We look forward to seeing the finished result!

According to Royal Collection Trust, Frogmore House and Gardens are open as follows:

Frogmore House is only open to individuals on three Charity Open Days each year, when all proceeds are donated to specially selected charities. The next Charity Open Days will be in May 2019.

Frogmore is also open to pre-booked groups of 15 people or more during August only.

Note: this does not include Frogmore Cottage or the Mausoleums

Frogmore House

What Did Charlotte And George Do In Canada?

The activities of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were well
documented, but what Prince George and his sister Princess Charlotte experienced was more private.

Charlotte and George were publicly seen arriving at the airport in Victoria, British Columbia at the start of the tour. The children, both dressed in blue stole the show. George, who has been known for his exuberance was reluctant to meet the dignitories lined up to welcome them. 


While Catherine and William carried out their royal duties, nanny Maria Borrallo looked after the children. The young prince and princess went swimming in the Government House pool and also went to Willows Beach which is a 15 minute drive from Victoria. The youngsters were seen making sandcastles and paddled in the water.

On the Tuesday the royal children visited Beacon Hill Children's Farm where they could play with the animals including miniature horses.

Towards the end of the visit, the royal children attended a party for military families in the gardens of Government House where the Cambridges stayed during the tour. Rabbits, goats, a dog and a children's entertainer who made balloon animals were there as well as a morning tea party.

On day 8, the family made their way to the seaplane terminal. After farewelling their hosts and fans, the Cambridges flew to a nearby airforce base to board the Canadian Air Force's A310 jet for the journey home.

The final treat for aviation nut George was being able to sit in the co-pilot's seat of the seaplane after the family arrived landed at the air force base. When asked where he was flying, George said he was "flying us to England".

A successful trip all around!

Day 2

The Royal couple visit Vancouver today. 
William and Catherine will meet mothers overcoming addiction (ShewayBC), see how Canada copes with 25,000 migrants every year and meet recently returned Canadian paralympians. The couple will also meet a group of young leaders.  

The Duchess is wearing a dress by McQueen.

They travelled from Victoria to Vancouver in a float plane.

Overhead Vancouver source: kensingtonroyal

At the end of their Vancouver visit, William and Catherine met
members of the various emergency services agencies ( including a police dog!).

The couple then boarded a hovercraft and will no doubt enjoy some time with George and Charlotte before bedtime.

Day 1 - Part 2

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children George and

Charlotte received a very warm welcome in Victoria, British Colombia at the start of their Canadian tour.

The family touched down at just before 4pm local time aboard a Canadian Air Force A310 jet. 

William and Catherine escorted the youngsters down the arrival stairs and were greeted by dignatories . Unusually, Prince George seemed shy and needed encouragement from his mother. 

 

While his father met President Trudeau with wife Sophie, Governor General David Johnston and wife Sharon, Catherine coaxed George into smiling but Charlotte needed no encouragement. Charlotte seems to be a very happy toddler and happy with all the fuss.

The children were then driven to Government House which will be their base for the next week.

The Royal couple then headed off to downtown Victoria to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph and receive an official welcome by President Trudeau at the parliamentary buildings.

A walkabout ended the public engagements for the day although Catherine and William had informal meetings with both the Trudeaus and Johnstons.

Then the Royal couple retired for the evening at the end of a very long day.

They Have Arrived- Day 1

Almost There...

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte are due to land in Canada in approximately 20 minutes.

Don't forget to check back during the day for tour updates and photos of the Cambridge family.

Wales And Cambridge Families In Canada

As we prepare to enjoy the Cambridge tour of Canada, let's look at past Wales and Cambridge royal visits.

Diana 1983

Charles & Diana Klondike 1983

Victoria B.C. 1986

Diana greeting her boys 1991

Niagra Falls 1991

1998 Wales boys after Diana's death

William & Catherine 2011

Charlotte And George Off To Canada

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's household has released a  more detailed itinerary for the couple's royal tour of Canada due to start on 24th September.

Among the new details is the announcement that Prince George ( 3 years old) and Princess Charlotte ( 16 months) will join their parents on the week long tour.

The children will be based at Government House in the British Columbia capital, Victoria. The family will arrive aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force jet. 

Prince George made his royal tour debut at the age of eight months when he visited Australia and New Zealand in 2014. Similar to this trip, he was based at the Governor General's official residence in Wellington, New Zealand and in Sydney and Canberra in Australia. 

You can revisit the trip by clicking on the Australia and New Zealand tab at the top of this page!

Hopefully this latest tour will offer some sightings of the royal children at various stages. 

Closer to the trip I will start a Canada 2016 tab for all of us to enjoy.

The official press release can be found at: 

https://www.royal.uk/further-details-duke-and-duchess-cambridges-tour-canada-announced

Cambridge Tour Of Canada

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will return to Canada later this month. It is not known yet whether Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join their parents. However, the itinerary allows Catherine and William to return to Victoria, British Columbia a number of times. They could use this as a base for their children much like they did with Prince George on their successful tour of New Zealand and Australia in 2014.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace said:
"The Duke and Duchess are delighted to be returning to Canada. They hold very happy memories from their visit in 2011 - their first overseas tour as a married couple. They are really looking forward to seeing other parts of this beautiful country and having the opportunity to meet many more Canadians along the way."

Tour Outline

September 24: Victoria, British Columbia
September 25: Vancouver, British Columbia
September 26: Bella Bella and Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia
September 27: Kelowna, British Columbia and Whitehorse, Yukon
September 28: Whitehorse and Carcross, Yukon
September 29: Victoria, British Columbia
September 30: Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
October 1: Victoria, British Columbia


This will be the Duke and Duchess's second visit to Canada together. Their first Royal Tour was between 30 June and 8 July 2011 when they visited Canada’s Capital Region, Montréal, Québec City, Charlottetown, Summerside, Yellowknife, Slave Lake and Calgary.

Her Majesty's Milestone

Thursday 3rd September, 2015

source: kensingtonroyal

It is Summer/Autumn holiday time for the royal family and there hasn't been a lot of news of the Cambridges lately. 

While Catherine continues to care for George and baby Charlotte, Prince William is working in his role of helicopter pilot with East Anglia Air Ambulance. 

It is known that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be joining many senior members of the family at Balmoral Castle in Scotland next week to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen's milestone- becoming the longest reigning British monarch on 9th September. Until now Queen Victoria held that record. 

Before the 9th September we will look at the many commemorative events to celebrate The Queen's 23,227 days as Monarch.