Renovation to guarantee long-term future

Refurbishing Prince Harry and Meghan’s home, Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle estate, cost $3 million

The cost of renovating Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s new home was $3 million, Buckingham Palace said as it detailed how the royal family had spent money provided bytaxpayers. The sum, part of the annual “Sovereign Grant”, funded the conversion of Frogmore Cottage to a single dwelling while the royal couple, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, paid for the fittings and furnishings.

“The property had not been subject of work for some years and had already been earmarked for renovation in line with our responsibility to maintain the condition of the occupied royal palaces estate,” said Michael Stevens, the Keeper of the Privy Purse and responsible for royal accounts. “Outdated infrastructure was replaced to guarantee the long-term future of the property,” he said ahead of the publication of the Sovereign Grant report which details official income and expenditure of Queen Elizabeth and her household.

Harry and Meghan had been living in a residence in the grounds of Kensington Palace, the London home of his elder brother Prince William and his wife Kate.

The 19th century Frogmore Cottage, in the grounds of the queen’s Windsor Castle estate, became the official residence of Harry and Meghan when they moved in shortly before the birth of their first child, Archie. The queen was very involved in the decision to allow the couple to use Frogmore Cottage and had been kept informed of the progress of the project throughout.

The building had been previously converted into five separate residences and royal officials had already planned to renovate it before it was agreed that it would become the residence of Harry and Meghan. The six-month refurbishment included new electrical wiring, replacement of defective ceiling beams and floor joists, new heating systems and the introduction of new gas and water mains. A palace source said the taxpayer grant covered the basic cost for kitchens, bathrooms and flooring with additional outlays for anything more bespoke being met privately by the royals who also paid for items such as curtains and furnishings.

British newspapers have reported that the cottage now has a “floating floor” and a yoga studio. Work has been “substantially” completed and outstanding renovations would not feature in next year’s annual report, meaning the cost would be under the 350,000-pound threshold to be included in the public report.

The outlay on Frogmore Cottage formed part of the 82.2-million-pound Sovereign Grant, the government handout which covers the official duties of Queen Elizabeth including staffing costs, upkeep of royal palaces and travel expenses.

REUTERS