The cost of renovating the new home of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, was ￡2.4 million (US$3.06 million), Buckingham Palace said yesterday as it detailed how the royal family had spent money provided by taxpayers.
The sum, part of the annual “Sovereign Grant,” funded the conversion of Frogmore Cottage to a single dwelling, while the 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.
Photo: AFP
“Outdated infrastructure was replaced to guarantee the long-term future of the property,” he said ahead of the publication of the Sovereign Grant report, which details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 II and her household.
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, last month.
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 couple’s residence.
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, speaking on condition of anonymity, 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.
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 threshold to be included in the public report.
The outlay on Frogmore Cottage formed part of the ￡82.2 million Sovereign Grant, the government handout which covers the official duties of the queen, including staffing costs, upkeep of royal palaces and travel expenses.
It is based on 15 percent of surplus revenue from the Crown Estate, the monarchy’s property portfolio, from two years previously.
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