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Being part of the royal family can incur high costs, as in the case of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
During the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the royal family, along with British taxpayers, paid several bills to the couple – who moved away as older members of the royal family and worked to become financially independent.
From the couple’s big wedding to high security costs, here’s a look at how much money the royalty potentially spent on Harry, 36, and Markle, 39.
royal wedding
Harry and Markle’s royal wedding cost a total of $ 45 million.
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With an ample security presence, fine dining and a host of other expenses, Harry and Markle’s wedding was very expensive.
From snipers, undercover police and military technology, overwhelming security totaled an estimated $ 42.1 million, per British wedding website Bridebook.
Other important wedding expenses include: Twenty silver-plated trumpets that announced the event for $ 125,000, an expensive $ 70,000 lemon blossom wedding cake from Violet Bakery in East London, an abundance of decorative flowers outside St. Chapel. George in Windsor for $ 150,000, reported $ 420,000 to rent the glass tent for the evening reception at Casa Frogmore, $ 36,000 in sausage rolls and hot tea for all 2,640 invited members of the public, and lastly, reported $ 440,000 in Meghan’s iconic Givenchy dress.
In an opinion piece for the Daily Mail, Norman Baker, a former Liberal Democratic member of Parliament and minister of the coalition government, estimates that royalty contributed £ 2 million (about $ 2.7 million), while taxpayers financed the other 94% of the marriage.
Home Renovations
After tying the knot, Harry and Markle first resided in Nottingham Cottage, a two-bedroom house in Kensington Palace.
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Renovations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Frogmore Cottage cost $ 3.2 million. (Getty)
The couple then planned to move to Apartment 1 at Kensington Palace – home to more than 20 rooms – to accommodate their growing family.
According to the official Sussex website, renovations to Apartment 1 were “estimated to cost over £ 4 million [$5.5 million] for mandatory renewals, including asbestos removal ”, which was financed by taxpayers through the Sovereign Grant.
The couple, however, chose not to move because they were not available “to occupy until the fourth quarter of 2020”. Instead, they moved to Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
Like Apartment 1, Frogmore Cottage underwent extensive renovations that reportedly cost $ 3.2 million in taxpayer money, although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ended up paying the money back, according to the New York Times.
Closet
According to a 2018 report, Markle’s ‘functional real wardrobe’ cost about $ 1 million. (AP, Archive)
According to a 2018 report, Markle’s wardrobe reached approximately $ 1 million.
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Carrying the weight of that figure were Markle’s two wedding looks. The Givenchy ceremony dress designed by Duchess Clare Waight Keller cost $ 440,000, while her reception outfit Stella McCartney cost more than $ 157,000.
“It may be that Meghan certainly contributed some of the costs of either of these wedding dresses, or perhaps both wedding dresses, I believe it was also paid for by the palace, “royal expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight at the time.
Meanwhile, other appearances saw Markle swinging a $ 18,000 Givenchy cape on her first outing with Queen Elizabeth, a $ 4,000 Caroline Herrera top and skirt for the Trooping the Color ceremony and a $ 6,000 Oscar de la Renta print dress, that she used at Harry’s cousin’s wedding.
As for who pays the costs? Nicholl explained that, “It turns out now that she is married to someone in the royal family, to the Prince of Wales [Charles] … to cover the cost of your real functional wardrobe. “
Safety
Amid Harry and Markle’s move to the United States, Prince Charles planned to pay for most of the resettlement across the lake.
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Harry and Markle’s security costs are estimated at $ 5 million. (Karwai Tang / WireImage)
In March 2020, a source told the Daily Mail that the Prince of Wales, 72, “agreed to pay a private contribution” to his youngest son, Harry, and his wife, Markle, after the pair got up and left Vancouver , Canada, the month before.
The source said at the time that, although it had not been communicated exactly what Prince Charles’ payment would be allocated to, it was “believed” that it would cover half of Markle and Harry’s security in his move to the United States.
The agency said protection for Markle and Harry could cost up to £ 4 million in total per year, which translates to nearly $ 5 million.
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Harry and Markle’s wedding generated some high costs. (Reuters)
Where does the money come from?
It was previously reported that Harry’s father, Prince Charles, received income from the Duchy of Cornwall, which he then divided between himself, his wife, children and daughters-in-law to support themselves and their philanthropic work.
According to Shannon Felton Spence, former head of Policy and Communications at the British Consulate General in Boston, the Sussex claimed that the Duchy of Cornwall covered 95% of their costs, while the rest came from the Sovereign Grant. In 2019, the Duchy of Cornwall raised more than £ 20 million last year.
How much did Harry and Markle’s wedding cost in general?
With home renovations, extravagant weddings, expensive wardrobes and ample security, along with Harry’s income from the Duchy of Cornwall, the couple’s wedding costs are in the millions.
Fox News’ Nate Day contributed to this report.