Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can heave a sigh of relief. They have repaid the taxpayers’ money spent on the renovation of Frogmore Cottage. The royal couple had decided to step back from their royal roles and shift to the United States. They wanted financial independence and believed in their capabilities. During their stay in Britain, they stayed in the Frogmore Cottage. They had renovated it to suit their taste and the bill added up to nearly $3m (£2.4m). The funds came from the Sovereign Grant and it was taxpayers’ money. Once they stepped down, they had to return the amount.

They had been doing it in monthly installments and have now announced that they refunded it in full. Their recent Netflix deal of nearly $100m (£75million) came in handy. Their move has come as a surprise to the royal family. Prince Charles had been extending support to them and his son Harry will no longer need to depend on that.

Daily Mail UK says the royal couple has bagged a lucrative deal with Netflix. Harry has immediately repaid the taxpayers’ money that went towards the renovation of Frogmore Cottage. The work involved converting five small staff cottages into a single unit to accommodate the couple.

Sources feel he will continue to be under scrutiny by the public and media. This would be because of his newfound status as a prominent public figure in America.

Frogmore Cottage was a gift from the Queen

Harry and Meghan received the Frogmore Cottage as a gift from the Queen. Its history goes back to 1680. Charles II built it and it has been a royal residence since 1792.

The cottage owes its name to the large number of frogs that inhabit the surroundings. It seems Queen Victoria dined there in 1875 and commented on the frogs at the property. The cottage has immense historical value because it has been a favorite royal retreat for more than two centuries. Daily Mail UK explains the Queen felt it would suit Harry and Meghan fine.

It offered adequate privacy with armed police guards at each gate. There is a ban on aircraft flying over the area below a certain altitude as well as a prohibition on drones in the airspace.

Their base in Britain will be the Frogmore Cottage

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are in America and they have acquired a mansion in Montecito, Santa Barbara among Celebrities. They have made a deal with Netflix with plans to create programs that would be informative and make a positive impact.

Their concentration would be on behind-the-camera roles as producers instead of being star themselves. Their spokesman clarified that they would continue to use the Windsor property as a base in Britain. In other words, Frogmore Cottage will remain the UK residence of the couple. The property belongs to Her Majesty the Queen, and she had bestowed it upon Harry, her grandson.

Harry repays cost incurred for the Frogmore Cottage renovation

According to Sky News, Prince Harry has paid back the full amount of taxpayers' money that went for renovating Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. There has been plenty of controversy about these expenses. Sir Michael Stevens, the keeper of the Privy Purse, who is responsible for the monarchy's accounts, clarified that the renovation of the property was already due.

This was in order to maintain the condition of the occupied royal palaces estate. He also said that it became a single residence and outdated infrastructure was replaced. That was to guarantee the long-term future of the property. He added – “Substantially all fixtures and fittings were paid for by Their Royal Highnesses."

In November 2018, the royal couple decided to move into Frogmore Cottage. They wanted the freedom to bring up their baby. Later, in May 2019, their son Archie was born and in June 2019, they planned further renovation of Frogmore Cottage. However, they finally decided to step down from royal duties and move to the United States. Prince Harry has repaid the cost incurred for the renovation by contributing to the Sovereign Grant.

He has already concluded a deal with Netflix to produce films and series for the streaming platform. These would include a wide variety of products like documentaries, features, and children's programming.
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