Image credit: Getty Images
If, like us, you’ve been following the stories around Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s renovation of Frogmore Cottage, then you’ll know the royal couple have been hard at work making changes to their home this year. After moving to their new house shortly before the May birth of baby Archie, the pair were said to be making more adjustments to the garden and exterior of Frogmore Cottage.
The royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Image credit: Getty Images
Having already enlisted the help of former Soho House interior designer Vicky Charles to work on the interiors, earlier this month we reported that the Duke and Duchess had to apply to their local council to make changes to the Grade II listed estate. But if you were wondering just how extensive the renovations were, now you have the answer, thanks to the just-released Sovereign Grant Report from Buckingham Palace.
Kensington Palace. Image credit: Getty Images
As related in the Independent, the Sovereign Grant has now confirmed that the renovations cost British taxpayers £2.4 million (AU$4.4 million) over the last financial year. That’s a small portion of the total £67 million (nearly $122 million) worth of UK taxpayers money that has gone on to fund the royal family’s expenses, and an increase of nearly £20 million from the previous financial year. According to the Independent, “the majority of the increase is due to maintaining royal palaces across the country and updating services at Buckingham Palace.”
Image credit: AP Photo
Taking almost six months to complete, the changes to Frogmore Cottage (located near Windsor Castle, above) were rather extensive. Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, told the Independent that Frogmore Cottage “had not been the subject of work for some years and had already been earmarked for renovation in line with our responsibility to maintain the condition of the occupied royal palaces estate.”
Frogmore Cottage. Image credit: Getty Images
Converting the five dormitory-style houses into a single dwelling obviously didn’t come cheap. Stevens went on to confirm that “The building was returned to a single residence and outdated infrastructure was replaced to guarantee the long-term future of the property. Substantially all fixtures and fittings were paid for by Their Royal Highnesses.”
Considering that Frogmore Cottage has been standing since 1792, it needed a lot of work to be inhabitable by a modern standards. According to a source speaking to People, the electrical and heating systems needed to be replaced, plus new gas and water mains had to be fitted. Contrary to popular reports, the house has not been fitted with a yoga studio or mother-and-baby yoga room either. Instead, “a very large proportion of the ceiling beams and floor joists were defective and had to be replaced,” adds the source. Even though £2.4 million is a lot to pay for a reno, we guess it was a much bigger job than your standard home update.
Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama in the Drawing Room of Apartment 1A Kensington Palace on April 22, 2016. Image credit: Getty Images
If your head is slightly spinning from these figures, it may interest you to know that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s updates actually came in less than Prince William and Kate Middleton’s renovations of their Apartment 1A Kensington Palace in 2014. According to Vanity Fair, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent £4.5 million ($8.2 million) on their family home.
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