The bill to renovate Harry and Meghan’s home soared after they asked for soundproofing to block out noise from Heathrow planes.
Experts claim specialist work on Frogmore Cottage could have cost between £500,000 and £1million out of the £2.4million spent so far on renovating their house.
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan needed the work to block out the roar of 1,300 jets a day taking off and landing directly over their luxury Windsor home, five miles west of Heathrow.
Without it they might have struggled to get a decent night’s kip for themselves and two-month-old son Archie.
The original reported estimate for soundproofing was just £50,000.
But experts now believe the figure is much higher.
Locals reacted with fury yesterday that the couple, both millionaires, had not paid for the lion’s share of the work themselves – while ordinary folk have to fork out thousands of pounds.
Businessman Kye Merkett, 45, who lives in Datchett, four miles from Heathrow, said: “There’s no reason they couldn’t pay for it.
“They should put their hand in their own pocket or put up with the noise like the rest of us.”
Yesterday, Harry and Meghan put the row over the renovation cost out of their minds as they joined crowds at the Boston Red Sox v New York Yankees baseball game at the London Stadium.
The event was in support of the Invictus Games Foundation – one of Harry’s great causes – and Meghan was thrilled to receive a number 19 Yankees shirt with Archie’s name on it.
The royal couple left Kens- ington Palace in April, amid reports of a rift with Prince William and his wife Kate.
“Why did they need to move to Frogmore? There are plenty of other places they could have gone where Archie could get a good night’s sleep.”
The newlyweds left their previous home at Kensington Palace, where Prince William and Kate also live, and moved into 19th Century Frogmore Cottage at the end of April amid reports of a rift between the couples.
This money comes from the Sovereign Grant, valued at £82.2 million this year and comprised of profits from the Queen’s property portfolio (the Crown Estate), which are paid to the Government.
Twenty-five per cent of these profits are paid to the monarchy to fund the upkeep of its property, travel, security and staff.
While the Sovereign Grant isn’t taxpayer money, it is considered to be public funds, belonging to the state.
Money for the Frogmore renovation comes from the Sovereign Grant, valued at £82.2million this year and comprised of profits from the Queen’s property portfolio (the Crown Estate), which are paid to the Government.
Twenty-five per cent of the profits go to the monarchy to fund the upkeep of its property, travel, security and staff.
While the Sovereign Grant is not taxpayer money, it is considered public funds, belonging to the State.
Frogmore Cottage was previously five separate quarters for servants.
Experts believe the soundproofing to the Grade II-listed house includes new “blocking layers” under the 7,500 sq ft tiled roof.
Further layers would have been needed above the ceilings and within an estimated 12,000 sq ft of external walls.
All exterior doors would need to be soundproofed and 68 windows upgraded to triple-glazing, at up to £1,000 each.
Soundproofing technicians claim the work could cost between £500,000 and £1million. As a result, a new air-condi- tioning system would have to have been installed to avoid harmful moisture.
Meghan, 37, has been working closely with architects and builders throughout the renovation of Frogmore, which was a gift to her and Harry from the Queen.
The final bill may top £3million. It reportedly includes painting interior and exterior walls with vegan paint, removing partitions, creating new doors, replacing staircases and adding bathrooms, bedrooms, a nursery and a kitchen with a “floating floor”.
Substantial rewiring meant providing the house with its own electrical sub- station, while gas and water mains were upgraded.
Designs submitted to Windsor and Maidenhead Borough Council have included two orangeries.
The cost of redecoration, believed to include lavish furnishings costing £250,000, is not included in the £2.4million.
And under Palace rules the royals do not have to declare any expenses spent on property that come in under £350,000.
A source said: “Harry and Meghan would find it very difficult to live there without proper soundproofing because of the scale of the noise pollution.
“All the soundproofing work would need to be of a high enough standard to take into account a third runway being installed at Heathrow in the future, so there shouldn’t be any more work needed.”
Residents who live within approximately three miles of Heathrow – where the noise level is above 57 decibels – can apply for funds towards soundproofing.
But residents just outside have to foot the bill themselves.
Retired councillor Malcolm Beer, 84, said: “We live around six miles from the end of the runway and we’re not eligible for any compensation. If people here want to soundproof their homes they have to pay for it. They can’t rely on handouts.
“This will rankle with a lot of people. I’m far from pleased. If you’ve got the TV on and a plane flies past you won’t hear a thing. The only option is to turn up the volume and if you open a window for ventilation, you’re scuppered. It’s a nightmare.”
Graham Smith, of anti-monarchy group Republic, said: “They should be paying for their own refurbishment.”
A Palace spokesman last night said the cost of soundproofing would be nowhere near £1million, but refused to elaborate on specific details.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "Speculation that £1million of the renovations at Frogmore was spent on soundproofing is a wildly inaccurate fabrication."
