Earlier this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced that they would be stepping back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. Yep, that was this year. Though it seems like several lifetimes ago that Buckingham Palace confirmed the Duke and Duchess wouldn't receive public funds for Royal duties anymore since they would no longer be formally representing the queen, the couple just now became officially financially independent.
In their January 8 announcement, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said that they would "work to become financially independent," and the updated funding section of their official website explained they would "no longer receive funding through the Sovereign Grant." An announcement made yesterday confirms that their work on that is done. ABC News reports the couple is even paying British taxpayers back for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage, which remains their official U.K. residence.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle said in a recent statement, "A contribution has been made to the Sovereign Grant by The Duke of Sussex. This contribution as originally offered by Prince Harry has fully covered the necessary renovation costs of Frogmore Cottage..." According to financial reports released by the Royal Household, those renovations cost around £2.3 million.
This £2.3 million reimbursement isn't the only big payment recently made by the Duke and Duchess in the name of independence from the Royal family. In July, the couple moved into a new $14 million (£10.8 million) home in the Montecito neighbourhood of Santa Barbara. It seems Harry & Meghan's new multi-year deal with Netflix is really helping them stay on top of their finances.