They may have asked for charitable donations instead of wedding gifts – but apparently that’s not stopping the Queen from showering Prince Harry and bride-to-be Meghan Markle with a very extravagant gift.
Hello! reports that Her Majesty the Queen is expected to give the newlyweds their very own stately home, which according to royal finance expert David McClure, is in keeping with royal tradition.
The gift will follow in the footsteps of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding gift, who were given their own property by the Queen, Anmer Hall in Norfolk. The couple moved in in 2015, not long before Prince George was born, after two years of extensive refurbishment of the property.
It's not yet known which property the monarch has in mind for Prince Harry and Meghan, however according to David it will probably be close to London.
David told News Corp: 'It's their sanctuary, it keeps them sane. William and Kate would do that with Anmer, they’d just disappear.'
‘William got a place on the Sandringham estate at Anmer and my hunch is that if he (Harry) gets a place in the country, he and Meghan might want to be nearer London and as such somewhere in the Home Counties might be preferable.’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle currently live in a cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace in central London, with Prince William and Kate as their neighbours along with newly engaged Princess Eugenie and fiancé Jack Brooksbank.
Some have speculated that the Queen will give Meghan and Harry York Cottage after their May 19 nuptials.
Originally named the Bachelor's Cottage, the home was built as an overflow residence for Sandringham House.
King Edward VII gave it to his son Prince George, later King George V, and his wife Queen Mary as a wedding gift. Nowadays, York Cottage is used as an estate office for Sandringham; estate employees also own flats and holiday accommodation in part of the building.
Harry and Meghan’s wedding was confirmed by the family’s official Twitter account last month, in a statement which read: ‘The marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle will take place at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in May 2018.’
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