The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been asked by the royal family to vacate their UK home, Frogmore Cottage. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan said a request was made for the couple to give up the 17th-century country house, which is close to Windsor Castle in Berkshire. It has been reported that the move, likely to be viewed as antagonistic weeks after the release of Harry’s autobiography Spare, was sanctioned by King Charles. The Sussexes’ spokesperson said: “We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage.” Should Harry and Meghan agree to the request and leave their UK home, it will be seen as a significant weakening of ties between the couple and the royal family months before Charles’s coronation this summer. The Sussexes announced in January 2020 that they were stepping back from their roles as senior royals but said they would “continue to fully support” the queen, who died last year. “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the couple said in an official statement at the time. They have since started a new life in the US and have made a number of damaging statements about the royal family in television interviews. Frogmore Cottage has reportedly been offered to Prince Andrew, who is also no longer a senior figure in the family. Andrew was given permission to step back from public duties after an interview with the BBC about his friendship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He settled a sexual assault case filed against him by Virginia Giuffre for an undisclosed sum last year, sparing him the humiliation of giving evidence in a trial and protecting the royal family from further reputational damage.