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The Sussexes

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex repay £2.4 million renovation costs for Frogmore Cottage

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed they have paid back the money spent on renovating their official UK residence, Frogmore Cottage, Windsor. It was agreed they would repay the costs when they decided to step back as senior royals earlier this year.

The couple announced the repayment in a statement in September 7th 2020. Issued by the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it read ”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.”

Frogmore Cottage became Harry and Meghan’s main home in the UK in 2019 just before the birth of their son, Archie Harrison. The renovation work on it was paid through the Sovereign Grant, money drawn from taxes and given to the Queen to cover the salaries of royal officials, the upkeep of royal homes and palaces and official travel.

When the couple announced they would be changing their roles, in January 2020, they said they would retain the Windsor property as their base in the country. Soon afterwards, they said they would repay the money spent on its renovation. Today’s statement confirms that all costs have now been covered.

The announcement comes less than a week after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed they had signed a deal with Netflix which will see them produce documentaries, docu-series and children’s programmes for the streaming giant.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.