Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have achieved financial independence six months after they quit their royal roles. With this new freedom, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said they are paying back money spent renovating their former home in the U.K. - Frogmore Cottage.
A representative for Harry told BBC that the royals paid $3.16 million (£2.4 million) in full. The money from taxpayers will now be returned to the Sovereign Grant.
Frogmore Cottage, on the other hand, will still be the official residence of Harry and his family whenever he is in the U.K. It remains the property of Her Majesty.
The duke and duchess lived at Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor in early 2019 following the makeover. The 18th century house was the first home of Archie Harrison, Harry and Meghan's first-born son.
Before the couple moved to Frogmore the house was separated into five residences. Members of the royal staff used to live there.
In late 2018, renovations to the house were undertaken when Harry and Markle said they needed to operate separately from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. This meant moving houses. The couple used to live next door to Prince William and Kate Middleton at Kensington Palace.
The cost of the renovations became a big deal when Harry and Markle said they planned to live half of the time in the U.S. British taxpayers demanded that the couple pay back the Frogmore Cottage expenses. Prince Charles said then he would support the couple for their first year in the U.S.
According to ABC, Harry and Markle said they would pay back taxpayer cash in installments when they announced their move to the U.S. However, paying the debt off in full has hushed critics and, effectively, releasing them from obligations to public funding.
Harry and Markle snapped up a new house in Santa Barbara for nearly $15 million. The couple have also signed a production deal with Netflix - speculated to be a multimillion contract. In June, Harry and Markle also signed with the Harry Walker Agency for speaking engagements.
Sources told ABC that the couple were reportedly no longer receiving money from Prince Charles or from his Duchy of Cornwall.
