Prince Harry has paid back the £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money he and Meghan Markle used to renovate Frogmore Cottage thanks to the multi-million pound Netflix deal struck by the couple.
A spokesman for the Duke of Sussex today confirmed he had paid the bill in full by making a contribution to the Sovereign Grant.
The payment was made possible thanks to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s new Netflix deal, reportedly worth some $150m, a source said.
Harry’s spokesman said: ‘A contribution has been made to the Sovereign Grant by the Duke of Sussex.
‘This contribution as originally offered by Prince Harry has fully covered the necessary renovation costs of Frogmore Cottage, a property of Her Majesty The Queen, and will remain the UK residence of the duke and his family.’
Prince Harry has paid back the £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money he and Meghan Markle used to renovate Frogmore Cottage thanks to the multi-million pound Netflix deal struck by the couple
Last year’s royal accounts showed the cost of the renovations at the cottage – paid for from taxpayers’ money – was £2.4 million
Last year’s royal accounts showed the cost of the renovations – paid for from taxpayers’ money – was £2.4 million.
Harry and Meghan agreed to pay back the money as part of the plans drawn up when they quit as senior working royals in March.
The couple signed a high-profile deal with streaming giant Netflix last week for their new yet-to-be-named production company to make documentaries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s programming.
A documentary on Princess Diana could be included among the haul, it was claimed over the weekend, though Royal sources have warned it could ‘fuel tensions between Harry and William’.
The Duke and Duchess said they planned to create programmes that ‘inform but also give hope’ and make ‘impactful content that unlocks action’.
The couple, who are now living in Los Angeles, are expected to concentrate on behind-the-camera roles as producers rather than necessarily star themselves.
The deal intensified calls for Harry and Meghan to pay back the seven-figure sum spent sprucing up Frogmore Cottage and now it appears the pair have bowed to the growing pressure.
The house was extensively renovated for the couple after their marriage in May 2018, with the intention of it being a family home for son Archie.
But they have since left to live in America, where they have purchased a £14.7million mansion in California.
A pledge was made by the couple to reimburse taxpayers for renovating their briefly lived-in Windsor home, which they have insisted on keeping as a British base despite the move to Los Angeles, as part of their deal to quit as working royals.
But they were left apparently cash-strapped after being unexpectedly stripped of their Metropolitan Police security team following their decision to relocate to North America earlier this year, says a source.
Harry, in particular, had believed ‘up until the very last minute’ that he would be allowed to keep them because of his position in the order of succession and the threat to him as a former frontline Army officer.
But the issue became a political football after the authorities in Canada, where they were living at the time, made clear they would no longer support Britain in providing round-the-clock protection after the couple stood down as working royals.
The Sussexes’ decision to flee to LA, which made the situation even more complicated and costly, saw the Home Secretary step in, forcing them to back down.
That meant hiring private security guards at an estimated cost of up to £4million a year, which had not been budgeted for by the couple.
As a result, they had to ask Prince Charles to bear the cost of their security if they were to have any chance of clearing their Frogmore debt.
The couple are already being heavily funded by the future king for the first year of their new life until they start earning their own income.
Recently it was reported that the couple began paying back the money spent on Frogmore in April. They gave up their Met Police protection around the same time.
The Sussexes were initially said to be paying monthly instalments of almost £18,000 – a combination of rent for the property and an unspecified payment towards the building costs.
However, the entire bill has now been paid, thanks to the windfall the couple will receive as part of the Netflix deal.
A source told the Daily Mail back in May: ‘They had fully expected that British taxpayers would continue to foot the bill for their protection but then the rug was pulled from under their feet and they had to ask Prince Charles to step in. That’s the reason why they are now able to start paying back the Queen and the Crown Estate, who met the cost of the building work out of public funds.’
The source also claimed the couple’s final bills soared because they included costly designs for work that wasn’t even carried out.
‘One of the biggest costs at Frogmore was that they flew in a designer from the US to design the garden,’ the source revealed. ‘Meghan also wanted a tennis court. There are already tennis courts nearby in Home Park. But it would have meant them coming out of the garden and being seen, which she didn’t like.’