The Sussex Couple Gave Frogmore Cottage a Major Facelift, Here’s How Much It Cost Taxpayers

Rich & Famous August 18, 2019

It may cost millions to finance the royal family, but at least the British taxpayers are kept in the loop of how their money was spent. Each year, a report of the royal family’s expenditure is released to the public, detailing what amount was spent doing what.

The Queen is the face of the royal family, and it takes millions to finance her household

The financial report for the period dating April 2018 – March 2019 was recently released, revealing that it cost the taxpayer $104 million to finance the royals. A significant amount of this cash was spent on renovations at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces, and at Frogmore Cottage, the residence of the Sussex couple.

$42 Million for Facelifts

$42 million was the total amount spent on refurbishments, although only $3 million was spent on Frogmore. Remember when there was supposed bad blood between Princes William and Harry? It was around that time that Harry and Meghan moved out of Kensington (a residence they shared with William and Kate) and into Frogmore, further fueling the rumors.

Frogmore Cottage is a mansion on Windsor Castle, and boasts 10 bedrooms. According to the financial report, five of the mansion’s residential units were in sorry conditions, and as such necessitated a renovation project that took four months.

Harry and Meghan moved into Frogmore earlier this year

Before the Sussex couple moved in, Frogmore was used to host members of the royal staff. It is the perfect home for Prince Harry and Meghan, seeing as it is just a distance away from where the two got married in 2018.

According to a family friend, they love it there, describing the home as their sanctuary. The insider also revealed that the couple leads an ordinary life, although for royals, ordinary may mean something entirely different from what we’re used to.

Last year, The Sun did report that the renovations would include, among other additions, a gym, yoga studio, and a nursery for the then expected royal baby. However, the financial report didn’t confirm these additions.

East Wing Was Badly Off

If you’re wondering how the rest of the refurbishment money was spent, $3.4 million was immediately put into renovating Buckingham Palace, specifically the residence’s east wing. After evaluation, the wing had been found to be susceptible to damage by water and fire, hence the need for new electrical and mechanical infrastructure. The Queen and her staff actually had to move from the said wing.

Kensington Palace also needed some improvements

The Buckingham renovation is actually a 10-year project, and the relevant authority saw it prudent to set aside some finances for the project’s completion. To this end, $19.3 million was saved up for use as they project steers on.

Kensington Palace also needed some improvements, with $1.7 million being spent on restoring it to its famed glory. The palace’s driveway needed some polishing up, and Old Stables, a cottage on its grounds, had to be renovated in preparation of Prince Richard’s arrival. It is expected that the Queen’s cousin and his wife will move into Old Stables before the end of the year.

The financial report also revealed how much the royals spent traveling overseas, an amount to the tune of $1.2 million. For domestic engagements, they spent well over $19,000 as traveling expenditure.