It’s a crowning achievement, financially speaking.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not only paid back all the taxpayer money it took to renovate Frogmore Cottage, but have also put the finishing touches on their financial exit from the British monarchy.
By not relying on any financial assistance from Prince Charles, Harry’s father, the couple has achieved their wish to be completely financially independent from the royal family, sources confirmed to People magazine.
Both moves were enabled by the production deal announced last week with Netflix, with a source telling People, they are “no longer receiving any financial support” from Prince Charles, who had been helping them out with some living expenses while they established themselves in the U.S.
Netflix — whose programs include the huge hit “The Crown — did not discuss the terms of their deal with Harry and Meghan, but some estimates put the princely sum at $100 million.
The pair announced in January they would be stepping back from their senior royal roles, and left the U.K. in March. The couple recently moved to Santa Barbara and took out a mortgage, according to People.
The renovation in Britain combining what had previously been five separate residences once used by royal staff into a single home. It had been largely uninhabited for years before that, the royal family has said.
The couple paid for all the fittings themselves throughout the process. The 18-century home was given to them by Queen Elizabeth II as their official residence. Frogmore will remain the couple’s home when they visit the U.K., “Good Morning America” reported. They will rent it from the Crown.
“They were already paying the money back in installments, but this announcement today really shuts down any criticism about whether they should pay it back sooner,” ABC News contributor Victoria Murphy told “GMA.” “They have now released all their ties to any kind of public funding, which is a significant step as they shape their new lives.”