Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle are sparing no expense in preparation for their first child’s arrival.
The royal couple is reportedly spending up to $3.8 million to extensively renovate their new home, Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, England, before their first child arrives in the spring.
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According to a new report from The Times, the royal couple are spending a small fortune to transform the Grade II listed property 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, Us Weekly writes.
Harry and Markle are also planning to add fireplaces, staircases and a floating floor, but will keep the original floorboards and shutters.
The report comes a few months after Kensington Palace made the announcement that the royals are moving from their current residence at Nottingham Cottage in London to Windsor.
A source previously told the outlet that the two-story cottage was a gift to the couple from Harry’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.
“There are 10 bedrooms, and the cottage does need some updating and renovations,” the insider told the publication. “It’s much bigger than Nottingham Cottage, which only had two bedrooms and was very tight.”
A source told The Times that the renovation — 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 make the home very safe and secure, “like Fort Knox.”
The refurbishing will reportedly cost more than the $1.9 million Prince William and Duchess Kate spent renovating their home, though a source said that there’s a reason for the extra cost.
“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.
Markle has reportedly been in constant contact with the team working on the house. The report also says that while the conservation work on the property is being paid by British taxpayers in the form of the sovereign grant, the couple is paying for the fixtures and fittings on the property.
The renovations hopefully will be finished in time for the birth of Markle and Harry’s first child, set for a spring due date. Reports say the former Suits star might be planning a home birth, breaking with tradition as most Royal family births take place at London’s St. Mary’s Hospital.
