MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry are “relieved and pleased” be paying off their £2.4 million Frogmore Cottage renovations according to an insider.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were urged by MPs to refund the money spent on their Windsor home after netting a £112 million megabucks deal with Netflix last week.
And the former royal couple are said to be more than happy to be footing the bill, according to Vanity Fair.
A source told the magazine’s royal correspondent, Katie Nicholl: “the couple are ‘very relieved and very pleased’ to have been able to pay off the debt so quickly.
“This has been a pro-active step and something they wanted to do from the outset.
“There was no requirement [from the Queen] for them to pay the money back but it was important to them that they did, and after the Netflix deal they were in a position to do so. I think this is quite a significant moment for them.”
A spokesman for the couple announced earlier this week that: “A contribution has been made to the Sovereign Grant by The Duke of Sussex.
“This contribution, as originally offered by Prince Harry, has fully covered the necessary renovation costs of Frogmore Cottage, a property of Her Majesty The Queen, and will remain the UK residence of The Duke and his family.”
Grade II-listed Frogmore Cottage in Windsor was a wedding gift from the Queen but remains empty after Meghan and Harry left for LA with baby Archie.
Originally, the couple were said to be paying rent of £18,000 a month to keep the home if they returned to the UK.
But they now live in a £11m nine-bedroom and 16-bathroom mansion in upscale Montecito, Santa Barbara.
Frogmore had fallen into disrepair before the couple moved in.
Builders worked around the clock for about six months so they could move in before the birth of baby Archie.
It needed extensive rewiring — including a new electrical substation — and the installation of modern gas and water mains.
The public paid for the kitchen, bathrooms and even fitted wardrobes, as well as the services of a renowned interior designer.
Wooden ceiling beams and floor joists were also replaced while inefficient heating systems were updated.
But the hefty £2.4million repair bill was covered by the taxpayer.
In other royal news, we told you how Meghan Markle is “desperate for an Oscar” according to friends.
Meanwhile, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ‘DIDN’T tell the Queen about their mega Netflix deal before announcing it’.
Before this mega-bucks Netflix deal, it was reported the couple were offered a million-pound deal with Spotify to produce exclusive podcasts.
