Meghan Markle and Prince Harry begin paying off Frogmore Cottage at $22,000 a month.

[When Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they were stepping down as senior members of the Royal Family (opens in new tab), they announced that they would become financially independent and repay 2.4 million pounds (about $2.9 million) that was spent on a taxpayer-funded sovereign grant to renovate their home, Frogmore Cottage, in England. As reported by the Times of London (opens in new tab), the Sussexes have begun making monthly payments of 18,000 pounds (about $22,000) for Frogmore.

According to the Times, Meghan and Harry are paying "enhanced rent," and the £18,000 includes both the rent for Frogmore Cottage, which was initially given as a rent-free wedding gift by the Queen, and an additional amount to cover renovation costs. It is not clear exactly how much the couple paid in rent and how much was used to repay the rent.

In their January announcement (open in new tab), the Sussexes announced their intention to "step aside as 'senior' members of the Royal Family and strive to become financially independent." A subsequent statement from Buckingham Palace (opens in new tab) said, "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared their desire to repay the expenditure of the Sovereign Grant for the renovation of Frogmore Cottage." It states.

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