Harry and Meghan's 'secret deal' to give Eugenie their UK home

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle handed over the keys to their private home in the UK to Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank without consulting the royal family according to reports.

Eugenie and Jack moved into Frogmore Cottage a fortnight ago in what was labelled an extended "house-sitting" period while Harry and Meghan are in the US, The Sun reports.

The Georgian cottage is Harry and Meghan's official UK residence, but as Eugenie and Jack prepare to welcome their first child together, they may be calling it their home for good.

According to the publication, a royal insider said senior royals “were initially blindsided by the idea" of the property handover.

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"Obviously the Queen was told after the couples had spoken about the plan," the source said.

"But it is very much a deal done between Harry, Meghan, Eugenie and Jack. There is a close bond between them."

It comes after the publication claimed Harry and Meghan moved all of their possessions out of the house "in the dead of the night" to have them shipped to their Californian home, signalling they have moved away for good.

"Removal vans pitched up in the dead of the night and cleared out the cottage. They definitely did not want to be seen," a source told The Sun.

"Emptying their home and handing over the keys is a pretty strong sign Harry and Meghan have no plans to return.

"It appears they are tying up loose ends as they plan to extend their stay in the US perhaps permanently."

The property was converted from five properties into one single home for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son Archie, one.

When the couple quit as senior working royals in March, they paid back the almost $4.4 million taxpayer bill to have the cottage renovated.

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said, "Frogmore Cottage is the private residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and as such any arrangements are a matter for them."

It’s believed Harry, Meghan and Archie will still stay at Frogmore Cottage whenever they visit the UK.

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