Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
World
Rebecca Koncienzcy

Harry and Meghan to keep Frogmore Cottage after £2.4m taxpayer refurb

Following the announcement that the Duke and Duchess Sussex were to step down as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family it emerged they will keep Frogmore Cottage after a £2.4m taxpayer refurb.

Meghan and Harry released a statement last night saying the couple would be splitting their time between Britain and North America.

While in the UK, they will live at Frogmore Cottage after it underwent a multi-million refurbishment last year.

In a statement on the Sussex Royal website, they said: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to use Frogmore Cottage...as their official residence as they continue to support the Monarchy, and so that their family will always have a place to call home in the United Kingdom."

Frogmore Cottag (Getty Images)

Work at the Windsor pad was carried out at a cost of £2.4million in taxpayers' money, the Mirror Online reports.

Renovations on the cottage were funded through the Sovereign Grant - a sum of money given to the Monarch from the Government annually.

In 2018- 2019, the Treasury paid £82million in Sovereign Grant - with £2.4million being spent on Frogmore Cottage before the birth of Archie.

Prior to living in the 19th Century, Grade II-listed home, Meghan and Harry lived in Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace - but moved out as it could not accommodate their growing family.

Meghan Markle during ITV interview (ITV)

They were also given the option to move into Apartment 1 in Kensington Palace - at cost of £4million in rennovation.

However, the residence would not have been available for them to occupy until later this year so the Queen offered them Frogmore Cottage as a family home instead.

Frogmore Cottage in Windsor Great Park (David Dyson/Daily Mirror)

Meghan and Harry came under scrutiny over the summer for their use of private jets, which were paid for by the couple and Elton John.

Before she married into the family Meghan, who had a successful acting career, had a personal fortune of around £3.8m, according to The Independent.

Prince Harry's fortune is thought to stand at around £30m, much of which he inherited from his mother Princess Diana and the Queen Mother.

A large chunk of their operating income came from the Duchy of Cornwall, an estate which funds the public, private and charitable activities of Prince Charles and his family.

In 2018 Prince Charles paid £4.9 million to Harry, William and their partners from the Duchy.

In their statement about stepping back as 'senior' member of the family, they said they planned to become "financially independent".

They said: "We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.

"We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.

Amazon Alexa

You can now tune in to the Liverpool Echo's early-morning news headlines on the Amazon Echo and other Alexa-enabled devices.

Click on this link and then open up the Echo's briefing service in the Amazon Alexa app.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.