Meghan and Harry asked to repay taxpayers $3.2M for Frogmore Cottage renovations after $149M Netflix deal
It's been quite a year for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they've had eyes on them since their controversial decision to step down from their royal duties. With all the drama that came with their royal exit, the couple had acquired a $149 million deal with the giant streamer Netflix. But now, they are being called out over the fact that they owe taxpayers a huge chunk of cash for renovations they had conducted on their Windsor home in the UK and are being asked to pay them back.
The couple had signed a multi-year production contract with Netflix and founded a yet-to-be-named production company and signed the deal with the streaming giant under which they will be paid for making documentaries, docu-series, feature films, scripted shows, and children’s programming. After spending $3.2 million for "extensive" renovations on Frogmore Cottage, the couple ended up moving to a mansion in sunny California that was priced at $19.5 million. According to The Sun, the couple who had stepped down from their Royal duties earlier this year has "vowed" to dish out $24,000 a month over the course of 11 years to repay their debts.
It seems that that deal wasn't enough when former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker insisted that the couple he called "rich" should also dish out cash for the security at the cottage along with the travel costs they acquire. The reason behind this, according to the publication, is because the aforementioned is being covered because of their HRH status. Baker, who believes that the duo should pay back the taxpayer's "immediately" and not in 11 years, clearly reasoned out his resounding suggestion, saying, "They can both definitely afford it. They should either pay it when the Netflix money arrives or give up the cottage. Even the monthly amount they have set is willfully inadequate. I don't mind them having this deal with Netflix, good luck to them. But if they are going to do that then they have to make sure they are not benefiting from their royal status."
Baker added that since the duo still has HRH status, the taxpayers are paying for the guards on Frogmore's property along with the duo's travel back to the United Kingdom. "I don't mind them getting a deal as former HRHs but it surely goes against the terms of them stepping down if they get this deal using their HRH. The HRH title is a passport to state support. There needs to be a clean break," added Baker.
The Sun further reported that the mega amount of $3.2 million includes only costs from 2018-2019 with the renovations including turning the five-bedroom cottage into a "family home" for their son, Archie. Shockingly, according to reports, the Sovereign Grant paid for "replacing ceiling beams and floor joists and revamped electric, plumbing, gas and heating." From "floating kitchen floors," soundproof windows that cost $66,447, and vegan paint, the couple furnished quite a cozy and costly home for their little family.