Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are reportedly spending up to $3.8 million to extensively renovate their new home, Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, England, ahead of their first child’s arrival in the spring.
The Times reported on Friday, January 11, that the royal couple are spending a small fortune to convert the Grade II listed property located near Windsor Castle from five apartments into a family home.
Planning documents published by Windsor and Maidenhead council revealed the renovation will include a green energy unit costing more than $60,000 to provide heating and hot water for the house. The couple are also planning to add fireplaces, staircases and a floating floor but will keep the original floorboards and shutters.
Kensington Palace announced in November that the royals are moving from their current residence at Nottingham Cottage in London to Windsor.
An insider told Us at the time that the two-story cottage was a gift to Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, from his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
“There are 10 bedrooms, and the cottage does need some updating and renovations,” the insider said. “It’s much bigger than Nottingham Cottage, which only had two bedrooms and was very tight.”
A source told The Times that the refurbishment of the house — which had most recently been used as staff quarters — is expected to cost between $2.5 million and $3.8 million and will include security features that will make the home very safe and secure, “like Fort Knox.”
The renovations are costing more than the $1.9 million Prince William and Duchess Kate spent renovating their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, but that is because “Frogmore Cottage is in an extremely run-down condition and is needing a lot of TLC and heavy restoration to bring it up to standard ahead of the duke and duchess’s moving-in date,” the source told the newspaper.
The insider added that the pregnant former Suits star has been in regular contact with the team working on the project. While the conservation work is being funded by British taxpayers in the form of the sovereign grant, the couple, who wed last May, are paying for the fixtures and fittings.
