IT’S THE WOT WON IT!
NORMAL COUPLE PAY BACK THE £ 2.4M THEY OWE BRIT TAXPAYERS
A PUBLICITY- shy couple who owed taxpayers £ 2.4m have paid it back after months of pressure from the Daily Star.
A PUBLICITY- shy man and wife have finally paid back £ 2.4million in taxpayers’ cash after almost eight months of campaigning by your Daily Star.
The couple announced last night that they were returning in full the loot they took to renovate fancy Frogmore Cottage.
Your Daily Star has repeatedly called for the pair to give back the whopping sum after they fled to the US, claiming they were fed up of being in the limelight.
Carping
And demands intensified after they last week shamelessly signed a £ 75m deal to make films for global streaming giant Netflix – despite carping constantly about media attention.
A spokesman for the man said last night: “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 UK residence of the duke and his family.”
The couple, who the Daily Star is not
naming in a bid to protect their precious privacy, announced they were quitting these shores with their son for a quieter life in America on January 8.
It took the millionaires 243 days to pay back the money in full – and sources claim it was only their megabucks Netflix deal which has allowed them to afford it.
The pair had agreed to return the cash but were only doing so at a rate of £ 18,000- a- month, despite reportedly paying more than £ 11.1m for a plush new mansion in upmarket Santa Barbara, California.
Over the weekend MPS demanded the couple pay back the public money as soon as possible. The man’s granny had gifted the cottage – which is situated in the grounds adjoining Windsor Castle – to the pair after they had wed – another eyewateringly expensive occasion for the taxpayer.
But the property allegedly needed extensive rewiring, including new electrics, and the installation of modern gas and water mains. The £ 2.4m renovation cost paid for a new kitchen, bathroom and fitted wardrobes, through the services of a top interior designer.
Untrue
Republic, which campaigns for an elected head of state, said the man should have acted sooner.
Their spokesman, Graham Smith, said: “Harry should have paid this bill from the outset, rather than expecting the taxpayer to stump up the cash.
“They’ve now paid for the refurbishment while continuing to use the home whenever they stay in the UK.”
He added: “Their statement claims the cottage is the Queen’s property, which is untrue. It belongs to the Crown Estate, which is there to raise revenue for the Treasury, so we have a right to know what rent they are paying for the place.”