When Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, decided to retire from their lives as senior royals, one issue in particular seemed to irk their critics: Frogmore Cottage. Rather than leave it permanently, the couple stated that they would continue to use the property as a UK base. Some found this insulting, considering that taxpayers had contributed to its renovations. But they should now feel assuaged: it has now been announced that the costs will be paid back.
It might take a while for Harry and Meghan to get the money together. According to records, British taxpayers paid £2.4 million toward the work but Meghan and Harry dipped into their own pockets too, having to pay for anything 'movable' and anything in the cottage's gardens from their own money.
'All fixtures and fittings were paid for by their Royal Highnesses,' a source told People Magazine. 'Curtains, furnishings — all that would be paid separately, paid privately.'
'If a member of the royal family says, "We want a better kitchen than you’re prepared to provide with public money," then that would fall to them privately and they would have to meet the cost,' People's source added. 'If they want that higher specification, they have to pay the extra.'
According to the report, the majority of the money paid by the public was spent on structural issues such as defective ceiling beams, broken floor joists, outdated electrical systems, gas and water supply issues and ineffective heating systems.
And what about those rumors of a mother and baby yoga room, sprung floor and floating kitchen? According to the report there's no yoga studio and the 'floating floor' rumour may have come from the builders laying a floor on top of the original flooring which they were unable to remove.
There has been significant backlash about the amount of money taxpayers contributed towards renovating the royal couple's home, 'Two multi-millionaires asking the British public to contribute £2.4 million to renovate an entirely different property to the one that they've been offered, I think is a bit off,' said Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britian, and he's not alone, many others have taken to Twitter to share their view.
Royal commentator Omid Scobie points out that in 2014, William and Kate faced similar scrutiny after spending £4.5 million on their renovation.
How much revenue does the royal family generate?
It's worth noting here that the royal family as a whole contributes an estimated £1.8 billion per year to the British economy, and an additional £5.5 million a year in tourism, according to a report by Brand Finance.
What does Frogmore Cottage look like?
While we don't know what the interior decor looks like (until we're invited round for tea!) here are all the rumours about the design decisions Meghan and Harry made when redecorating their new home.
Everything We Know About Frogmore Cottage's Re-Design - Grazia
1 of 9What Renovations Did Frogmore Cottage Undergo?
Originally Frogmore Cottage was called 'Double Garden Cottage': it's located in the grounds of Frogmore house where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex held their wedding reception in May last year. Over the last few months, it's undergone extensive renovations to turn it into a family residence - there was a lot of work to do as formerly it was made up of five different apartments. The £3m renovations reportedly include two conservatory extensions, garden landscaping and permission for a bedroom to be built above an existing studio. The original floorboards, window frames and door of the property will be kept and several stately fireplaces will be brought in.
2 of 9The 'Gone With The Wind' Staircase
According to reports, a double staircase 'similar to the one featured in Gone With The Wind' has also been put in to replace the multiple staircases through the house. Including the nursery and a bedroom for Meghan's mother Doria (who will help with childcare when baby Sussex is born - the couple chose to not have a nanny) there will be five bedrooms.
3 of 9Soho House's Vicky Charles Was Reportedly Hired For The Redesign
It's no secret that Meghan is a - big - Soho House fan. In fact, the director of the private members club group, Markus Anderson was one of the people who was rumored to have set Harry and Meghan up (Meghan also had her hen do at the Soho Farmhouse branch of the club in the cotswolds). Therefore we weren't in the least bit surprised that Vicky Charles - a top Soho house designer - has been overseeing the interior design of Frogmore cottage.
4 of 9Will It Look Anything Like Meghan's Former Home>
If the pictures of Meghan's former Toronto home are anything to go by - we can expect the Duchess of Sussexes taste for a neutral color palette to be a big theme in the design of Frogmore cottage along with clean, modern (and of course, dog-friendly) furniture.
5 of 9Frogmore Cottage Will Be Smartphone-Controlled
Apparently - Prince Harry loves a gadget or two. Which the couple might have opted to have their home smart-phone controlled (welcome to the new era of the royal's!). According to Royal Biographer Katie Nicholls who spoke to multiple sources, a source has said 'They are going all out with the refurbishment of the house, and as Harry loves his gadgets, it's going to be very cool. They'll be able to control everything from their smart phones.' The nursery might also have a camera monitoring system and security windows.
6 of 9There'll Be A Mother-And-Baby Yoga Studio
Meghan - a yoga enthusiast - is said to have had a mother and baby yoga studio installed which will feature a 'floating floor'. The Victorian floorboards that already existed have been taken up (to be used elsewhere in the property) and replaced with sprung floors similar to the ones in dance studios.
7 of 9Meghan Opted For Gender-Neutral Paint
One of the most well-reported details about the new Sussex residence is that Meghan chose to paint the nursery in 'gender-neutral' tones of grey and white (Kensington Palace would not comment upon whether Meghan and Harry plan to raise their baby as gender neutral). The paint used reportedly comes from a company called The Organic And Natural Paint Co. which uses eco-friendly and toxin free ingredients. Oh and it's vegan. Obvs.
8 of 9It Will Use Eco-Friendly Energy Sources
Carrying on with the eco-theme, according to the [Mirror ](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/meghan-markle-to-50000-green-13836507)planet-consciousplanet-conscious){href='https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/meghan-markle-to-50000-green-13836507)planet-conscious' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}onscious Meghan has also apparently had a £50,000 low-carbon energy unit installed, which will provide eco-friendly heat, hot water and electricity
9 of 9We Bet There Are Some Seriously Pinterest-Worthy Storage Solutions
Ok - so mainly I just put this here because I wanted to include a throwback picture of Meghan's shoe collection (let's all just take a moment to appreciate it). But if Meghan's former Instagram is anything to go by, we bet there'll be some Pinterest-worthy storage solutions going on in Frogmore cottage. The Duchess also previously wrote about the benefits of Feng Shui on The Tig, so you can bet mindful furniture arrangement will play a big role in the couples interior.