Prince Harry and Meghan Markle install THIRD fence at their Frogmore Cottage home as £12,000 hand-woven hazel barrier is put up following security concerns
- Frogmore Cottage was at the centre of a funding row earlier this year after £2.6m cost of refurb emerged
- A new, third, fence around the property has now sprung up, which is said to have cost around £12,000
- The couple are on a break from royal duties celebrating Thanksgiving, although their location is unknown
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Harry and Meghan have installed a new fence around their Windsor home after security concerns were raised earlier this year.
The couple and their little son Archie have a home at Frogmore Cottage, which is less than a mile from Windsor Castle. But locals have noticed a new hand-made woven hazel fence has been installed at the property in recent months.
The fence, which is estimated to have cost the Royal Household around £12,000, sits behind an traditional wooden picket fence which had surrounded the property and completely cuts out any views of the cottage’s garden from nearby paths.
It is not known whether the new fence is part of beefed-up security arrangements, an attempt to improve the privacy of the home or a new feature to make the gardens more attractive.
However, it comes after concerns were raised about how close visitors to neighbouring Frogmore House could get the cottage during annual open days this summer.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have installed a third fence around their Frogmore Cottage home. The property now has a metal fence, wooden picket fence and a new hand-woven hazel barrier closer to the gardens
Security is tight around the property as the couple are currently on a six-week break from royal duties
It is not known whether the couple are holding Thanksgiving at home in the UK or have travelled to the US to celebrate
The royal household have made numerous planning applications to the local council over ‘external landscaping works’ at the property although supporting documents have not been made public as they ‘contain sensitive information’.
Frogmore House, which is owned by the royals, is open to the public for at least three days a year and eyebrows were raised in May as the public circled the Sussexes nearby cottage.
Speaking in May, shortly after the couple’s son was born, a member of staff at Frogmore House told MailOnline: ‘We were expecting it to be cancelled, but it was given the go ahead.
‘But there are a lot more restrictions in place than previous years for obvious reasons. They’ve fitted new security cameras outside the cottage and brand new wooden gates. Still, it’s very surprising how close the public can get.’
During the open day, a gate to Frogmore Cottage was said to be firmly shut, and guarded by armed police.
The cottage has metal fence running around its perimeter which is patrolled by police, and watched by CCTV, when the couple and their son are at home.
Frogmore Cottage is less than a mile from Windsor Castle, and the Queen is said to visit the couple at their home
Concerns were raised earlier this year when it emerged the public could get this close to the couple’s back fence
The public is allowed into the grounds of neighbouring Frogmore House, pictured, on at least three days of the year
The royal couple are currently on an extended festive break, thought to be six weeks, and are today celebrating their first Thanksgiving with their baby son, Archie.
It is not clear whether Harry and Meghan have invited the duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, to spend time with them in the UK or whether they have travelled to the US for the American national holiday on Thursday.
The Sussexes are not taking part in a major gathering of the British monarchy next Tuesday, when the Queen will lead her family in welcoming Nato leaders, including US President Donald Trump, to Buckingham Palace for a reception marking 70 years of the alliance.
Frogmore House was at the centre of a funding row earlier this year when royal accounts showed £2.4m of taxpayer money had been ploughed into its renovation.
The accounts showed renovation involved the ‘reconfiguration and full refurbishment of five residential units in poor condition to create the official residence for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’.