What happens when a prince walks away from royal duty—but still expects royal support? That question is now fueling a fresh storm inside Britain’s monarchy after reports that Prince Harry reacted with anger to King Charles III refusing taxpayer-funded assistance for him and his family. Since stepping back from official royal roles and relocating abroad with Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have built private media and business ventures to support themselves.

But the King’s firm stance—that public funds are reserved only for working royals—has reignited a heated debate over privilege, responsibility, and royal tradition. Is this simply royal protocol being enforced… or another sign the family divide is far deeper than the public knows?

Prince Harry was reportedly left “furious” and “in tears” after he and wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex were kicked out of their UK residence by King Charles last year.

Harry and Meghan are now based in Montecito, California, but had previously lived at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor and used it as their base when returning to the UK.

But last year King Charles ordered the pair to remove their belongings and they had completely vacated the cottage by June 29, 2023.

According to royal biographer Tom Quinn, Charles’ eviction notice was regarded by Harry as “vindictive” and “a slap in the face”.

The eviction notice came after the publication of Harry’s controversial memoir Spare and the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, which aired late in 2022.

Last week it was confirmed Harry had officially changed his primary residence from the UK to the US, with the change backdated to the precise date he and Meghan vacated Frogmore Cottage.

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“The story of Harry’s change of residence may have come out only in the past few days, but in fact Harry quietly changed his primary residence as long ago as June 29, 2023 — on the very day he and Meghan were evicted from Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate,” Quinn told The Mirror.

“That’s the date given in new business documents filed in the US this week.

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“At the time, few people realised what a slap in the face the eviction from Frogmore felt like for Harry — it was the last straw.

“Harry was absolutely furious and in tears about being evicted from Frogmore — he felt his father had no right to do it and that it was purely vindictive.”

Frogmore Cottage was gifted to Harry and Meghan by the late Queen Elizabeth when the pair married in 2018.

About $A4.29 million was spent on renovating the cottage before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved in.

Less than a year later, the couple announced they were stepping down from royal duties and moving overseas — first to Canada, then the United States.

It’s understood that Harry and Meghan have since repaid the renovation costs after departing the UK in 2020.

Harry is expected to return to the UK on May 8 for a 10th anniversary Invictus Games service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

It’s not yet known if Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet will join him, or if Harry will endeavour to see Charles, his brother Prince William or sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales while in the UK.

Both Charles and Catherine are undergoing treatment for unspecified forms of cancer.

As for Harry backdating the beginning of his US life to the date he and Meghan were kicked out of Frogmore, one royal observer said that was Harry’s method of subtly “trolling” his father.

“To me, it feels like he’s trolling his dad a bit because he could have said that he’s been a US resident since 2020 when he quit the UK and moved to the States, but instead he chose the exact day that his dad kicked him out of Frogmore,” royal author Charlotte Griffith told GB News.

“The reason his dad kicked him out of Frogmore was that he’d slagged off Camilla in Spare.

“And it was a really difficult decision for Charles because no dad wants to kick their son out of their home.

“But he went beyond the pale.”

Quinn said Harry had found it difficult to understand why no longer being a working royal meant he had to give up his UK home, instead taking it as a “cruel rejection” by his father.

“Harry took it as a cruel rejection — a painful reminder of all that he felt when his father fought with his mother during their long, drawn-out, painful divorce,” he told The Mirror.

“Whenever Charles puts his foot down, it seems unfair to Harry who feels that after everything that has happened to him, he should always get whatever he wants, whether that be security paid for by the British taxpayer or a luxurious UK home.

“For many Harry is just a poor little rich kid behaving like a spoiled brat, but Harry sees himself as the eternal victim.”

And while Harry and Meghan have put down roots in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, where they are raising their young son and daughter, Harry is also facing scrutiny about his US residency.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has questioned the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to grant Harry a US visa following admissions of drug use that were included in Spare.

The foundation, which has asked a judge to force the department to release Harry’s immigration file, argues that the prince either lied on his visa application or was given special treatment because a history of drug use would normally disqualify an applicant from being granted a visa.