Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have wasted no time making themselves feel at home in California since moving to the States in July. Between snapping up a sprawling $14 million estate in Santa Barbara and inking a production deal with Netflix rumored to be worth $150 million, the couple has made it clear they're in the U.S. to stay. But according to a former friend of Princess Diana's, it's what Harry and Meghan did immediately after signing with Netflix that signaled their "divorce" from the royal family may be, in effect, final: paying off their royal debts.
In a column for the Daily Mail, Diana confidant Richard Kay wrote that he believes Harry and Meghan's decision to repay the £2.4 million of public money used to renovate Frogmore Cottage, the home in Windsor given to the couple by Queen Elizabeth, is "highly significant" for one reason in particular: They opted to repay the debt in one lump sum. They previously offered to return the money at the rate of £18,000 a month (which would have taken 11 years), as outlined in the Sussexes' final exit agreement approved by the Queen.
But, according to Kay, the debt was weighing heavily on Harry in his desire to distance himself from royal life. "For more than a year, it has been the millstone around Prince Harry's neck, a gold‑plated slice of taxpayers' largesse that reeked of privilege and entitlement," he wrote. "To Harry and Meghan, the £2.4 million of public money—our money—that was lavished on renovating Frogmore Cottage, only for it to be shuttered and abandoned along with the rest of their royal lives, represented something far more intrinsic."
Kay, who was one of the last people Diana spoke to the night she died, said Harry saw the debt "as a chain that shackled them to the land of his birth, inhibiting their efforts to be truly free of the royal family and—crucially—of their media critics."
The royal columnist has been critical of Harry and Meghan's actions since the couple announced their intentions to step away from their senior royal roles. Kay had previously written that, because the couple was "bent on re-writing the rule book of what being a member of the royal family actually means," from the moment they married there was a "disconnect." He cited, among other things, their "secrecy" over their son's birth, and, in the case of the money spent renovating Frogmore Cottage, Kay said Harry and Meghan don't see it as "a loan from a generous nation pleased to be helping this young royal couple find its feet after their joyful wedding, but rather a stick with which to beat them."
Following the announcement that Harry and Meghan had repaid the debt on Frogmore Cottage in full, it was revealed that the couple would no longer be receiving financial support from Prince Charles. In Kay's view, Harry and Meghan severing all financial ties to the royal family is a "signal that their divorce from Britain is permanent, while removing any pretense that they might still have a future role in the royal family."
A Palace source told Kay that the complete repayment of the money spent on Frogmore's renovation came "as something of a surprise" and may have been done because Harry has been "irritated by the criticism that the deal has led to of his finances. No one really knows." The insider added, "But if he thinks that it will make him immune from public and media scrutiny, he is misguided."
RELATED:For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter.
A spokesman for the couple confirmed the prince had fully repaid the debt saying, "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, a property of Her Majesty the Queen, and will remain the U.K. residence of the duke and his family." Harry and Meghan will now reportedly pay an undisclosed commercial rent on the property.
Another Palace insider told me that, despite Harry's desire for independence, his ties to the royal family are not so easily severed. "While Harry may believe he is finally free and has escaped his increasingly vocal critics by being financially independent, he is still a member of the royal family, which remains the strongest tie there is to Her Majesty, the Queen, and this country," my source said. "As such, his actions will always be viewed through that lens." And for more on Meghan and Harry's new life, check out The Stunning Details on Harry and Meghan's $14.7 Million California Home.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
Filed UnderNews • Prince Harry • Royal FamilyRead This NextMeghan "Was Never Satisfied" Being Second Place
"She felt she was second place," a royal source says. "It all became unnecessarily tense."August 24, 2020Inside Harry and Meghan's $14.7 Million Home
"They have staked their claim in Hollywood and are not looking back," said an insider.August 13, 2020This Royal Wants Harry & Meghan Back in "The Firm"
This senior royal "felt they played a vital role in the future of a modernized monarchy," an insider says.August 11, 2020There Are 3 More Harry and Meghan Tell-Alls
The upcoming Harry and Meghan book "Finding Freedom" is just the beginning of a wave of shocking disclosures.August 3, 2020Diana & Meghan Made the Same Claim About the Royals
Harry's mother and wife both "felt they contributed far more to the Royal family than was acknowledged."July 27, 2020Why Harry and Meghan Could Lose Their Titles
The book may prompt the Queen to "consider making changes to their agreement," which will be up for review.July 27, 2020Harry Is "Happy" Meghan's Become the "Bigger Star"
An insider explains why Meghan is "taking the lead right now" as the Sussexes build their new life in L.A.July 16, 2020The Message Behind Meghan's Post-Royal Wardrobe
"She knows that clothes play a role in everything," an insider says of the Duchess of Sussex.July 10, 202010 Things You Didn't Know about Justin Trudeau
Athlete, nerd, hopeless romantic, thespian. Yes, there’s a lot more to Canada’s Prime Minister than just politics.March 21, 2017Jon Hamm: The Best Life Interview
Jon Hamm, star of TV's Mad Men, reveals the secrets of manliness in a postmodern world.November 15, 2016
