Gransnet forums

News & politics

Frogmore ... some ‘cottage’!

(280 Posts)
Urmstongran Tue 25-Jun-19 09:45:08

Apparently it was 5 dwellings now knocked into one luxurious dwelling for Harry and Meghan at a cost of almost £3 million - and its not quite finished yet!

I think public funding of the royal family should have a cap on it after the third heir to the throne, being Prince William.

We have a monarch, plus two spares. After that point, an allowance should be paid per official function performed, with a clothing and travel allowance permitted.

The balance of their funds should be privately funded by themselves in whatever way they choose- trust fund, hand outs from other family members or, gasp, actually work for it! Enough is enough of this royal gravy train.

What do others feel?

MamaCaz Tue 25-Jun-19 09:48:48

I agree.

aggie Tue 25-Jun-19 09:52:32

Another way of looking at it .....
How many people got employment from all the work done ?

Slowcookervegan Tue 25-Jun-19 09:53:51

I Agree

Grany Tue 25-Jun-19 09:55:31

I agree too much greed.

They are all on the Royal gravy train.

SirChenjin Tue 25-Jun-19 10:01:33

I agree. Apparently the Queen gets around £80 million from tax payers and 'only' gave them money for the refurb with all the additional fixtures and fittings to be paid for by H&M - so let's all doff our caps and be grateful for that hmm. It's obscene.

Urmstongran Tue 25-Jun-19 10:12:35

I don't think Meghan wanted so much to be "in" the royal family..... as much as she wanted a "royal prince" to take her to the top table of celebrity..... she has zero interest in promoting the royal family and our country.

Given the choice I am sure watching her mate Serena play or a lunch with Amal or a photo op with Oprah would win over a ribbon cutting or royal engagement!

Anniebach Tue 25-Jun-19 10:13:07

They didn’t even need it. They had a large apartment in KP,
a house in the Cotswolds, offices in St James Palace.

They wanted out of KP to Windsor, more secluded than living in London.

Living in Frogmore makes travelling from London after evening functions difficult so they now have an apartment in Buckingham Palace and their offices have been moved there.

All for minor royals puffed up with self importance.

William has an apartment in KP and a house on the Queens
private estate Sandringham.

Shoequeen53 Tue 25-Jun-19 10:22:02

The Royal family costs each of us less than £1 a year, I can’t get exercised about it. Apparently most of it was spent on necessary maintenance works.

SirChenjin Tue 25-Jun-19 10:25:21

Necessary for whom?

Shoequeen53 Tue 25-Jun-19 10:25:55

For the building.

GrannyGravy13 Tue 25-Jun-19 10:27:26

Wallis Simpson and the King are buried next to each other the garden of Frogmore Cottage.

SirChenjin Tue 25-Jun-19 10:27:48

The non-essential building that the couple decided they fancied living in?

That's what their own bank account is for.

EllanVannin Tue 25-Jun-19 10:29:59

This is beyond a joke ! It makes a mockery of their visits to those who are underprivileged and homeless. Something wrong here !

My old mum would have gone hairless as she had no time for the " followers-on ".

paddyann Tue 25-Jun-19 10:35:28

This makes my blood boil ,that money could have been spent on housing people who are homeless,sleeping on friends couches...even though they work and pay tax.Dont get me started on the waste of good air that these people are .WORK ....why would they when they can shake hands and smile and get paid handsomely for it ,and then pontificate about everyone elses lives .
The monarchy needs to end when Lizzie dies..its an out of date concept in the 21st century ..and that includes all these "honours" Emipre awards for an Empire that been long gone.Delusional the lot of them !!

Anja Tue 25-Jun-19 10:36:49

FHS they are ambassadors for the country and for many really good causes, both of them. They must bring in more than they cost.

While not a fan of Royalty per se I’d rather have have these than the like of a President like Trump or Putin etc..

SirChenjin Tue 25-Jun-19 10:40:54

There's a vast middle ground between the obscene amount of money that is spent on the minor royals and the numerous estates in the UK and having a President (although Trump was democratically elected...).

H&M seem to relish their roles as celebrity humanitarians but demonstrate an eye-watering lack of judgement.

Urmstongran Tue 25-Jun-19 10:41:52

Apparently in Denmark , the Queen has shrunk the Royal expenses , to be more in touch with reality . The Danish taxpayer , pays for her , her firstborn son (the Crownprince) and his firstborn son.

The rest of her grandchildren are on their own from the age of 18y. The Danish Queen is quite eccentric , but understands that if the Monarchy has to survive , it can not do so if it spends the Danish taxpayer’s money, when it is needed elsewhere .

Shoequeen53 Tue 25-Jun-19 10:42:22

Frogmore Cottage is owned by the Crown Estate, ie the taxpayer, so we’re liable for its maintenance regardless of who lives there.

moggie57 Tue 25-Jun-19 10:43:18

basically i can see meghan spening more time in canada than the uk. after all she left family and friends back there. dont think she's that happy in england .i dont think she realised what living with the royal family was like. i wish her and harry well. but some how i can see it lasting.the monarchy wont die out .ok things need to be changed and i think they will with william and kate.

eazybee Tue 25-Jun-19 10:43:40

The 'cottage' is probably Grade 1 listed, which would account for some of the eye-watering expenditure. I doubt very much if it belongs to the Sussexes and probably remains part of the Crown estate, and can be claimed back at any time, witness Sarah Ferguson's straightened circumstances following her divorce.
Not good, though.

Urmstongran Tue 25-Jun-19 10:43:50

That’s convenient! For the RF not us.

Callistemon Tue 25-Jun-19 10:44:53

Do you not realise that The Queen gets the funding then allocates it to those who perform duties on her behalf?
The money for the renovations also came from the Sovereign Grant.
Why don't people check their facts?

I agree with Anja

What would you replace the relatively inexpensive Monarchy with paddyann?
Costly elections and an even more expensive presidential system such as the Trump Family?

I understand that the Johnson Family are quite popular
grin

GrannyGravy13 Tue 25-Jun-19 10:45:06

The Royals cost us 69pence each per year.

(Figures April 2018)

SirChenjin Tue 25-Jun-19 10:47:47

And just think what else we could do with that 69p a year - or a large proportion of that if we go for the more sensible pared down option?