MEGA BILL
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle ‘began repaying £2.4m Frogmore Cottage bill after Prince Charles agreed to foot US security
by Chiara FiorilloPRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have started repaying their £2.4 million bill for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage after Prince Charles agreed to cover their security costs in the US, it has been reported.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex pledged to pay back the amount when they stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family.
The pair have relocated to North America earlier this year, but have kept Frogmore Cottage as their British base.
The five-bedroom property was a wedding gift from the Queen and is currently empty.
Harry and Meghan were left apparently cash-strapped after being stripped of their Metropolitan Police security team when they moved to Los Angeles, according to a source.
The Daily Mail reports that Prince Harry had believed "up until the very last minute" that they would be allowed to keep their security team.
SECURITY COSTS
But authorities in Canada - where they were living before moving to LA - said they would not support Britain in providing the couple protection.
When Harry and Meghan moved to LA, Donald Trump refused to cover the security costs - saying "they must pay".
The pair then hired private guards at an estimated cost of up to £4 million a year.
Because of this extra "unexpected" spending, the Sussexes reportedly asked Prince Charles to cover the security costs so they could repay the Frogmore debt.
A source told the Daily Mail: "They had fully expected that British taxpayers would continue to foot the bill for their protection but then the rug was pulled from under their feet and they had to ask Prince Charles to step in.
"That’s the reason why they are now able to start paying back the Queen and the Crown Estate, who met the cost of the building work out of public funds."
The Sussexes are said to be paying monthly instalments of almost £18,000 to repay the renovation costs.
It is understood to be a "rental-plus" agreement where they are paying more than the commercial rate so the excess is used to pay off the renovation bill.
PAYING BACK
When the couple quit the royal duties, it was made clear the Sussexes would repay the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant expenditure "and meet the running costs going forward".
It would take more than 11 years of payments at the current amount to cover the £2.4million - without considering the interest or running cost of the property.
Builders worked around the clock for about six months to renovate Frogmore Cottage so the Sussexes could move in before the birth of baby Archie.
The Grade II listed property needed extensive rewiring — including a new electrical substation — and the installation of modern gas and water mains.
The couple have only spent a few weeks at Frogmore Cottage in the past six months - and their son has spent more than half of his life outside the UK.
Prince Charles is understood to continue to privately fund Prince Harry as he can no longer use public funds.
