The
cost of renovating Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s new home was $3 million,
Buckingham Palace said on Tuesday 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 royal 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 out
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.
“Outdated infrastructure was replaced to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 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, in May.
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 residence of Harry
and Meghan.
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.
British newspapers have reported that among
the changes, the cottage now has a “floating floor” and a yoga studio.
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 pound threshold to be included in the
public report.
The queen was very involved in the decision to
allow the couple to use Frogmore Cottage and had been kept informed of the
progress of the project throughout, the source said.
Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, had been living in
a residence in the grounds of Kensington Palace, the London home of his elder
brother Prince William and his wife Kate.
But since their marriage in May last year,
they have been forging their own path, separating their household from William
and Kate’s and relocating their staff to Buckingham Palace. Last week, it was
announced that they were splitting from the charitable foundation the two
couples had shared.
The outlay on Frogmore Cottage formed part of
the 82.2 million pound Sovereign Grant, the government handout which covers the
official duties of Queen Elizabeth including staffing costs, upkeep of royal
palaces and travel expenses.
It is based on 15 percent of surplus revenue
from the Crown Estate, a property portfolio belonging to the monarchy, from two
years previously. In 2016, this percentage was raised to 25 percent for a
decade with the extra set aside to pay for an ongoing major overhaul of
Buckingham Palace.
That 10-year 369 million-pound upgrade work to
replace aging electrical wiring and heating systems at the palace was on track,
Stevens said.
Graham Smith, from Republic which wants to
abolish the monarchy, said his campaign group estimated the real cost of the
royal family each year was 345 million pounds.
“If even one school or hospital is facing cuts
we cannot justify spending a penny on the royals,” he said. “Yet with all
public services under intense financial pressure we throw 2.4 million pounds at
a new house for Harry.”