Why Harry and Meghan wished to pay for Frogmore Cottage renovation
It’s the historic home on the Windsor estate that was refurbished by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a cost of £2.4million.
Frogmore Cottage, on the Windsor estate, was renovated – initially at the taxpayer’s expense – after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given use of the property by the late Queen in 2018.
But public outcry over the use of public money via the Sovereign Grant prompted Harry and Meghan to cover the cost themselves.
Late last month it emerged that the property still lies empty, more than a year after Harry and Meghan were forced to move out.
The Duke was asked to remove his remaining possessions from five-bed home just weeks after he published his explosive memoir Spare.
In historian Robert Lacey’s book Battle of the Brothers, which was published in 2020, it was revealed why refunding the public money was crucial to the couple.
Mr Lacey wrote: ‘It was crucial that they should pay off – and should clearly be seen to pay off – the £2.4million that had become a persecutory refrain in almost every story about their base at Windsor.’
He added: ‘As they would later explain via sussexroyal.com, the website that they developed during their Vancouver sabbatical, coming off the Sovereign Grant – the royal payroll financed by the British taxpayer – would “remove the tabloids'” justification in having access to their lives.’
Frogmore Cottage , on the Windsor estate, was renovated – initially at the taxpayer’s expense – after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were given use of the property by the late Queen in 2018
Public outcry over the use of public money via the Sovereign Grant prompted Harry and Meghan to cover the cost of renovating Frogmore Cottage themselves. Above: The couple in the kitchen of the property
Charles, then the Prince of Wales, had been ‘quite sympathetic’ when Harry discussed the cost of the renovation with him, according to Mr Lacey.
He is said to have offered to help contribute. Mr Lacey continued: ‘…though why a couple whose combined net worth has been reliably estimated at £30million-£40million should need help from Dad to pay off their ‘mortgate’ is not immediately obvious.’
Before it was renovated, Frogmore Cottage had been divided into five run-down staff residences.
Harry and Meghan turned it back into one large home with a private garden.
They spent just six months in the house before moving to North America in 2020, first to Canada and then California, where they bought an £11million mansion in Montecito.
But the couple initially kept Frogmore as a UK base and also shelled out on future rental costs.
They were then asked to completely vacate the property last year after the uproar generated by the publication of Harry’s memoir and the couple’s Netflix series.
Last month, a Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed that Frogmore is still empty, a fact that was detailed in the annual Sovereign Grant report, which sets out how the monarchy is funded by taxpayers.
‘I think at this point I wouldn’t speculate on who would be the future occupant of Frogmore Cottage,’ they said.
The Sussexes had provoked fury by spending £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money renovating Frogmore Cottage in Windsor (pictured)
Harry and Meghan (pictured above on their wedding day in 2018) were given use of Frogmore Cottage by the Queen
Harry and Meghan (pictured last month at the ESPY Awards in Hollywood) spent just six months in the house before moving to North America in 2020
Prince Harry was asked to remove his remaining possessions from Frogmore Cottage just weeks after the publication of his memoir Spare
Prince Andrew was offered the option to move into Frogmore instead of residing in the £30million Royal Lodge without a source of income, but he refused.
The Duke of York was forced to give up royal duties amid the scandal over his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The King has long been trying to persuade him to swap the palatial Lodge for Frogmore.
He took over his property from the Queen Mother and there are still around 50 years left on the lease.
A source told The Times earlier this year: ‘If [Prince Andrew] doesn’t agree to move to a property better suited to his needs, then the King may have to reconsider the levels of support he is willing to provide.’
Frogmore Cottage was once the home of Queen Victoria’s loyal Indian manservant Abdul Karim.
And from 1925 until 1934, it was a place of sanctuary for Grand Duchess Xenia, the sister of Tsar Nicholas II.
