The REAL reason Harry and Meghan wanted to repay taxpayers £2.4million to renovate Frogmore Cottage… now it emerges the property is still empty, a year after the couple were evicted

It is the historic home on the Windsor estate that was renovated by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at a cost of £2.4 million.

Frogmore Cottage, on the Windsor estate, was renovated – initially at taxpayers’ expense – after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took over ownership of the estate from the late Queen in 2018.

But public outrage over the use of government money through the Sovereign Grant led to Harry and Meghan deciding to pay the costs themselves.

Late last month it was revealed that the building is still empty, more than a year after Harry and Meghan were forced to move.

The Duke was asked to remove his remaining belongings from a five-bedroom house, just weeks after publishing his explosive memoir Spare.

Historian Robert Lacey’s 2020 book Battle of the Brothers revealed why repaying the government money was crucial to the couple.

Mr Lacey wrote: ‘It was vital that they pay off – and clearly show – the £2.4 million that was a refrain from persecution in almost every story about their Windsor base.’

He added: ‘As they would later explain via sussexroyal.com, the website they developed during their sabbatical in Vancouver, after receiving the Sovereign Grant – the royal payroll funded by the British taxpayer – “would remove the tabloids’ justification for having access to their lives.”

Frogmore Cottage, on the Windsor estate, was renovated – initially at taxpayers’ expense – after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were granted use of the property by the late Queen in 2018

Public outcry over the use of government money through the Sovereign Grant prompted Harry and Meghan to pay for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage themselves. Above: The couple in the kitchen of the property

According to Mr Lacey, Charles, then the Prince of Wales, was “very understanding” when Harry discussed the cost of the renovation with him.

He is said to have offered to help. Mr Lacey continued: ‘…although it is not immediately clear why a couple whose combined wealth has been reliably estimated at £30m-£40m would need help from their father to pay off their ‘mortgage’.’

Before renovation, Frogmore Cottage was divided into five dilapidated staff houses.

Harry and Meghan turned it into one big house again with its own garden.

They lived in the house for just six months before moving to North America in 2020, first to Canada and then to California, where they bought an £11million mansion in Montecito.

But the couple initially kept Frogmore as a base in the UK and also paid for future rental costs.

Last year, they were asked to vacate the property altogether after a furore arose over the publication of Harry’s memoirs and the couple’s Netflix series.

Last month, a Buckingham Palace spokesman confirmed that Frogmore remains empty, a fact detailed in the annual Sovereign Grant report, which details how the monarchy is funded by taxpayers.

“I don’t think I can speculate at this stage as to who the future occupant of Frogmore Cottage will be,” they said.

The Sussexes had sparked anger by spending £2.4million of taxpayers’ money on renovating Frogmore Cottage in Windsor (pictured)

Harry and Meghan (pictured above on their wedding day in 2018) were granted use of Frogmore Cottage by the Queen

Harry and Meghan (pictured last month at the ESPY Awards in Hollywood) spent just six months in the house before moving to North America in 2020

Prince Harry was asked to remove his remaining belongings from Frogmore Cottage just weeks after the publication of his memoir Spare

Prince Andrew was offered the opportunity to move to Frogmore rather than remain living in the £30million Royal Lodge with no source of income, but he declined.

The Duke of York was forced to give up his royal duties amid the scandal surrounding his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The king has long tried to convince him to exchange the princely Lodge for Frogmore.

He took over his property from the Queen Mother and the lease still runs for about 50 years.

A source told The Times earlier this year: ‘If [Prince Andrew] ‘If someone does not agree to move to a home that better suits their needs, then the King may have to reconsider the level of support he is willing to provide.’

Frogmore Cottage was once the home of Abdul Karim, Queen Victoria’s loyal Indian servant.

And from 1925 to 1934 it was a refuge for Grand Duchess Xenia, sister of Tsar Nicholas II.