Buckingham Palace Confirms Harry & Meghan Will Repay Taxpayers' $3 Million Spent On UK Home Renovations

Jan 21, 2020 by apost team

After announcing they will be stepping back as 'senior' royals, Meghan and Harry said they would be splitting their time between North America and the U.K. With the public wondering what this will mean for the royal family, the Duke and Duchess said they continue to use their newly renovated cottage paid for by taxpayers.

This decision has critics calling for them to payback the renovations spent on the crown's property as the couple will no longer be performing royal duties. The Queen confirmed in a statement that Meghan and Harry will pay back the millions spent on refurbishing their cottage. 

The Royal Household released figures last year that showed how Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had spent £2.4 million (Equivalent to about $3 Million) on renovating the Frogmore Cottage at Windsor into a family home. The cottage had previously been 5 separate residences but the renovations conjoined the homes into one single property.

The cost of the renovations were paid out from taxpayer’s pockets via the Sovereign Grant. According to the royal family’s website, the Sovereign Grant “is the amount of money provided by Government to the Royal Household in support of The Queen’s official duties, including the maintenance of the Occupied Royal Palaces” which include Windsor where the Frogmore Cottage is based.

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The Queen recently released a statement confirming that Meghan and Harry will pay back the £2.4 million (Equivalent to about $3 Million) spent on the Frogmore estate. The Queen shared how it was Meghan and Harry's "wish" that they "repay the Sovereign Grant expenditure for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which will remain their UK family home." 

 Graham Smith, chief executive of the campaign group Republic, had criticized the couple for their decision to step back as senior royals and had called upon them to pay back the taxpayers. He said to The Mirror, "I certainly think they owe the taxpayer a refund. They have spent £2.4m ($3 million) on refurbishing their house on the taxpayer. It was going to be their home and now they've decided to live elsewhere so we need that money back. They need to abandon their claim to that house."

The property was given to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Queen Elizabeth however, the cottage needed extensive refurbishment. The palace said the property had “defective wooden ceiling beams and floor joists were replaced and inefficient heating systems updated.

The house also required extensive rewiring - including an electrical sub-station - and the installation of gas and water mains.” Meghan and Harry also spent £4 million ($5 million) on renovations at Kensington Palace converting offices into an apartment.

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