Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Have New Plans for Frogmore Cottage Following the Birth of Archie
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making their Frogmore Cottage home even more perfect for Archie Harrison.
The royal couple renovated the interior of the historic five-bedroom home earlier this year in anticipation of their son’s arrival. Now they’re attending to the outside of the Windsor property, by redecorating the exterior doors, windows and walls and upgrading some of the outbuildings.
With an eye to the future, Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, are also wisely re-landscaping the garden — presumably to allow adventurous Archie to roam as freely (and safely) as possible, once he finds his feet — and adding some extra garden lighting too.
Heavily redacted plans published by The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead show the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are taking care to renovate every inch of the property — previously described as “pretty dilapidated” by royal biographer Ingrid Seward shortly after the couple’s move was announced — by redecorating its gutters and downpipes.
The renovation project has allowed Meghan and Harry to put their own personal spin on the home, which includes bookcases built into alcoves and a custom kitchen and dining room, where Harry plans to “do some entertaining,” including hunting parties, a pal tells PEOPLE.
Frogmore Cottage now marries English and California style, with a new green-energy center, springy “floating floor” (perfect for yoga) and nontoxic paint complementing the 19th century roots of the building, which dates back to 1801.
The gardens of nearby Frogmore House also offer Meghan the opportunity to share her California roots with her son in the form of two giant redwoods.
“Their home is so cute and warm,” a source tells PEOPLE. “The energy of the space is so much better [than Kensington Palace]. It’s a total fresh start.”
While Meghan has been taking a well-earned break from the spotlight to bond with Archie, Harry isn’t taken paternity leave. The prince flew on a commercial jet to Rome last Friday to attend a charity polo match in aid of his Sentebale charity.
He then attended back-to-back engagements at Buckingham Palace alongside his 93-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday, meeting the captains of the 2019 Cricket World Cup before donning his formal wear for the third Buckingham Palace garden party of the year. Princess Eugenie, 29, and Princess Beatrice, 30, also attended. Even though Meghan wasn’t in attendance, Harry snuck in a sweet nod to his wife during the party.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
On Thursday, Harry — who is a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador — also opened the Cricket World Cup at The Oval in London. The tournament involves 10 teams from around the world, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies — nine of which are from the Commonwealth.
