Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – who moved to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in early 2019 ahead of the birth of their eldest son, Prince Archie Harrison – have agreed to rent out their royal home in 2020 with Buckingham Palace.
Officials said Meghan and Harry returned £2.4m from a sovereign grant to renovate the cottage shortly after it was announced they had entered into a multi-year partnership with streaming giant Netflix.
Meghan and Harry have agreed with the palace not to pay any further rent on the royal residence after returning the grant.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have contributed £2.4m to the Sovereign Grant which covers the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage. They have met their financial commitments to the property,” a palace spokesman told the Mail on Sunday.
“In accordance with normal sovereign grant reporting practice, the accounting arrangements have been audited and signed off by the National Audit Office and the Treasury. As with any such agreement between landlord and tenant, further details of the Sussex Lease Agreement are as follows: private matter,” – they added.
Meghan and Harry lived in Canada until mid-November 2019, when they decided to take a six-week break from their royal duties and then stay in North America.
Frogmore Cottage is estimated to cost between £150,000 and £230,000 a year. With their payment, the Californian couple could have saved up to £690,000.
