Renovations Have Started on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's New Home, and It's Going to Get Pricey

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are finally beginning the much-needed work on their new home Frogmore Cottage. Reportedly, the new digs were fairly "dilapidated" before this. Now work has finally begun on the house, and it is NOT going to be cheap. The full cost of the work will range from $2.5 million to as much as $3.8 million.

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are finally beginning the much-needed work on their new home Frogmore Cottage. Reportedly, the new digs were fairly "dilapidated" before this but do provide the necessary room for the soon-to-be family of three, once the baby arrives. Now work has finally begun on the house (it's much bigger than a traditional cottage, so don't let the name fool you), and it is NOT going to be cheap. As first reported in The Times, the full cost of the work will range from $2.5 million to as much as $3.8 million—eep.

So what will the work be on? Firstly, security. Like, "Fort Knox" level security. There'll also be a green energy unit costing $60,000 (but way to go, being eco-friendly!), fireplaces, staircases, and a floating floor, which just means material that's not nailed to the subfloor underneath. They're keeping the original shutters and floorboards, so they're being faithful to a good amount of the original architecture. Per Us Weekly, Meghan and Harry are in regular contact with the team doing the work and have been vocal about what they want and need.

In November 2018, the news broke that the Fab Four (Meghan, Harry, Kate Middleton, and Prince William) were splitting up, a.k.a. Harry and Meghan wouldn't join their in-laws by living at Kensington Palace. Not that it matters, but this is much higher than Kate and William's renovations of their quarters at Kensington Palace—this makes sense, though, because it sounds like Frogmore didn't have anyone living in it for a long time before this, whereas presumably Kensington has work going on more regularly.

The Daily Mail reports that protective white covering has gone up over the whole house, so no one can see what's going on or how intense the rehab work is (go here to see photos)—plus, there might be some roof work, and camera installation, that needs to be completed. Once the work is done, the unveiling is going to be pretty spectacular.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.