Any path for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back to Britain and royal life appears more unlikely, with reports that renovations to their former home may be “reversed”.

Plans are reportedly under way to undo the $4.5 million in renovations to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle lived before sensationally quitting royal life.

The late Queen Elizabeth gifted the newlyweds the property in 2018. At the time it was in two-semi-detached houses and was said to be rundown.

Harry and Meghan oversaw a six-month makeover to convert it into a five-bedroom residence. The refurbishment included upgrades to the property’s heating, electrical, gas and water mains systems.

An upgraded kitchen was also installed, along with – according to The Sun – a $9000 copper bathtub, decor by a Soho House designer and vegan paint. Speculation that the revamp included a yoga room was debunked.

The renovation work was initially paid for from the British taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, which covers royal activities.

Harry and Meghan in the kitchen at Frogmore (left), and with their children at the property.

The Sussexes were living at Frogmore when son Archie was born in 2019. They celebrated daughter Lilibet’s first birthday there and used it as a base while in Britain for the late queen’s platinum jubilee and for her funeral, all in 2022.

But it was their primary residence for only six months. They moved to North America in late 2019, and repaid the cost of the renovation after settling in California.

In 2023, The Sun revealed Harry’s father, the King, had officially asked them to hand back the keys to Frogmore. The move – dubbed “Frogxit” by the tabloid – came just weeks after publication of the duke’s best-selling memoir, Spare.

“We can confirm the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” Sussex spokesperson Ashley Hansen said.

The couple officially vacated Frogmore Cottage in June 2023, with a source revealing they were “matter-of-fact” about leaving it.

This week The Sun reported that several options were being considered for the property. They include subdividing it or splitting it again, although nothing is finalised and no prospective occupant has yet been found.

“It’s been empty for three years … It would draw the line under Frogmore Cottage’s controversial history and return it to the pre-Meghan and Harry era,” a source said.

Frogmore was renovated extensively before Harry and Meghan moved in.

The property is owned by the Crown Estate, a collection of lands belonging to the British monarch but which is not part of the monarch’s private holdings.

Anyone who lives in a home on the Crown Estate, royal or otherwise, must pay rent unless they are offered it by a monarch as a “grace-and-favour home”. It was recently revealed that Prince William, Harry’s estranged older brother, is paying £307,200 ($A577,400) a year to rent his new family home on the Windsor Estate, the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge.

After the Sussexes’ departure, Frogmore was earmarked for Harry’s embattled uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. He was forced to leave his home of two decades, the nearby Royal Lodge, amid revelations he was paying no rent for the 30-room mansion.

But Mountbatten-Windsor rejected the idea of Frogmore. Instead, earlier this year, he moved to a home on the King’s Sandringham estate.

“It’s been empty for three years. Even Andrew thought it wasn’t good enough for him to move in,” the source said.

“Maybe if they get rid of any trace of Harry and Meghan, then someone within the royal household will fancy it.”

Harry and Meghan no longer have an official home in Britain. The prince is said to want to return with his family, but remains locked in legal battles with Britain’s Home Office about his security.