Sussex Residences

[Dalriada]

The optics are all wrong again with this gaffe prone couple forgetting about planning permission for their change of plan that ordinary people are required to request. The Times newspaper writes: “Their change of mind follows the disclosure that £2.4 million of taxpayers’ money was spent on the grade II listed property with a further bill still to come”

 

[Curryong]

Yes, that cost will be banged on about for ever, as if no other royals housing has never cost anything ever!
And surely it would be the responsibility of the Project Manager of Windsor estate to be filing any necessary paperwork?

 

[JR76]

I wonder where Meghan and Harry are planing to put this (imaginary) tennis court. I imagine levitating over the non-existent place for it?

Well if they have floating floors they can have a floating tennis court

 

[Tarlita]

Sounds like another made up story to me. Same as they Do Not have a Yoga studio as part of the recent reno.

 

[Lilyflo]

The optics are all wrong again with this gaffe prone couple forgetting about planning permission for their change of plan that ordinary people are required to request.

Is there any evidence that that they forgot? It's not unusual to alter landscaping plans as a project develops & some minor aspects might require retrospective planning permission. These alterations might not even be to do with changing decisions but rather unforeseen circumstances that only become apparent once the work has commenced. The change of plans might also be about access or security.

Also, they are doing what ordinary people are required to do and anyway it's not M & H who have to apply for planning permission, it's the Royal Household Property Section.

@ Rena - thanks for the guidance on measurements. I did try but don't have a mouse & couldn't get the menu. I've compared some map views of FC with average family homes at the same scale & I can see that FC is considerably larger.

 

[Mbruno]

The Cottage once used to house a Russian Grand Duchess, her family and some servants - not too muhc, they were poor, but some surely worked and stayed there. So my guess is they have a nice house with at least one guest bedroom and a nursery for Archie/future kids with accommodation for a nanny/babysitter.

The grand duchess in question was Xenia Alexandrovna, who was Nicholas II's sister. She fled Russia with her mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (née Dagmar of Denmark), and lived in exile in England until her death. King George V, Xenia's first cousin, granted her the use of Frogmore Cottage as a grace and favor house. She had been granted Letters of Administration to her late brother's estate in England, but, nonetheless, her financial situation had become desesperate by the time she was allowed to move into the cottage.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Is there any evidence that that they forgot? It's not unusual to alter landscaping plans as a project develops & some minor aspects might require retrospective planning permission. These alterations might not even be to do with changing decisions but rather unforeseen circumstances that only become apparent once the work has commenced. The change of plans might also be about access or security.

Also, they are doing what ordinary people are required to do and anyway it's not M & H who have to apply for planning permission, it's the Royal Household Property Section.

Exactly, it’s not as if Harry or Meghan personally are filing permits. Even in everyday people’s lives it is generally the contractor, plumber or electrician who files the Permits, unless it is a DIY project.

 

[Rena M.]

@ Rena - thanks for the guidance on measurements. I did try but don't have a mouse & couldn't get the menu.

@ Lilyflo, you can perform right click on your laptop trackpad too

My previous measurements and calculations were correct. Distances in brackets are in foot

 

[Rena M.]

why does one need a planning permission for a verggy patch?

It is possible their garden is listed as well and seen as a small part of the protected Frogmore Gardens

 

[tommy100]

I work in a listed building and our property section have asked us to hold off on creating some raised beds for an allotment as they want to check if planning permission is needed. Apparently if it changes the appearance of the property from the road it can be subject to permission. Probably staying on the safe side but I imagine Frogmore Cottage being in such a historic area that if permission is ever going to be needed it may be there.

 

[TLLK]

I work in a listed building and our property section have asked us to hold off on creating some raised beds for an allotment as they want to check if planning permission is needed. Apparently if it changes the appearance of the property from the road it can be subject to permission. Probably staying on the safe side but I imagine Frogmore Cottage being in such a historic area that if permission is ever going to be needed it may be there.

Thank you for sharing your experience tommy100. As an average homeowner/resident I might have questioned the planning commission's decision regarding the couple's desire for the raised beds, however taking into consideration that this is a historic/listed structure I can understand why it might be a topic to be discussed.

 

[Rena M.]

I work in a listed building and our property section have asked us to hold off on creating some raised beds for an allotment as they want to check if planning permission is needed. Apparently if it changes the appearance of the property from the road it can be subject to permission

I live in a historic city (unesco world heritage site) and on regular basis I read about all types of restrictions, also including greenery. I'm pretty sure Frogmore Gardens are protected

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

I live in a historic city (unesco world heritage site) and on regular basis I read about all types of restrictions, also including greenery. I'm pretty sure Frogmore Gardens are protected

Same here (I live in the outskirts of London). One of my friends couldn't do the planned renovations to her apartment since it was listed - listed buildings have very strict, naturally, restrictions enforced so they can be kept in their original state as much as possible.

 

[carlota]

in other news, the cost of the renovation of frogmore cottage was listed in the annual report and accounts for the year:

Frogmore Cottage, Windsor (£2.4m)
The scheme consisted of the reconfiguration and full refurbishment of five residential units in
poor condition to create the official residence for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their
family. The works started on-site in November 2018 and were substantially completed by the
end of March 2019

 

[Countessmeout]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/roya...e-news-prince-harry-frogmore-cottage-barbecue

The shocking expensive luxury.....a 4000 pound outdoor grilling kitchen


Okay even the people on twitter are coming to their defense. For an outdoor kitchen, this isnt just a bbq but a kitchen and seating area, not that expensive. Many people spend up to 10,000 or such on one.

 

[TLLK]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/roya...e-news-prince-harry-frogmore-cottage-barbecue

The shocking expensive luxury.....a 4000 pound outdoor grilling kitchen


Okay even the people on twitter are coming to their defense. For an outdoor kitchen, this isnt just a bbq but a kitchen and seating area, not that expensive. Many people spend up to 10,000 or such on one.

That's not too expensive when you calculate the total cost of the utilities, appliances, hardscaping, etc.. Besides it's the Sussexes who are the ones paying the bill.

This is not unlike the "uproar" on work that the Cambridges have chosen to do at Amner Hall over the years. The tabloids just enjoy the extra income every time someone clicks or comments.

 

[Mey]

That's not too expensive when you calculate the total cost of the utilities, appliances, hardscaping, etc.. Besides it's the Sussexes who are the ones paying the bill.

This is not unlike the "uproar" on work that the Cambridges have chosen to do at Amner Hall over the years. The tabloids just enjoy the extra income every time someone clicks or comments.

Yes the grill doesn't seem that extravagant if it involves paving and such but it plays into the narrative of more money being spent on this mansion regardless of whose money it is.

 

[DuchessMia]

The outdoor kitchen sounds lovely. We love grilling on our back porch.

 

[Countessmeout]

That's not too expensive when you calculate the total cost of the utilities, appliances, hardscaping, etc.. Besides it's the Sussexes who are the ones paying the bill.

This is not unlike the "uproar" on work that the Cambridges have chosen to do at Amner Hall over the years. The tabloids just enjoy the extra income every time someone clicks or comments.

Indeed. I watch enough home renovation shows, to know the larger of these outdoor kitchens cost over 10,000 usually. 4000 is pretty cheap. There is a lot of work that goes into them.

 

[Cocoasneeze]

Yes the grill doesn't seem that extravagant if it involves paving and such but it plays into the narrative of more money being spent on this mansion regardless of whose money it is.

It shouldn't matter to anyone else at all when Harry and Meghan spend their own money on their home or whatever they choose to spend it on. Imho it starts to become a dangerous territory if the press and public try to have a say how Harry and Meghan spend their own money. So, as long as it is their money, they can spend it on this "mansion" if they choose to do so, and it shouldn't be up to public discussion.

 

[Countessmeout]

It shouldn't matter to anyone else at all when Harry and Meghan spend their own money on their home or whatever they choose to spend it on. Imho it starts to become a dangerous territory if the press and public try to have a say how Harry and Meghan spend their own money. So, as long as it is their money, they can spend it on this "mansion" if they choose to do so, and it shouldn't be up to public discussion.

Problem there is many in the public who think they dont have their own money. That all of their money comes from tax money. You try and argue that, and they become quite rabid with you.

The media plays off that. Feeding into 'look where your tax dollars go'.

 

[Dman]

Problem there is many in the public who think they dont have their own money. That all of their money comes from tax money. You try and argue that, and they become quite rabid with you.

The media plays off that. Feeding into 'look where your tax dollars go'.

I always try to stress that the royals have their own money. Harry have money and Meghan came into the family with her own money. The Windsor’s aren’t broke people.

 

[Osipi]

The cost doesn't matter to me one iota. Its their money to spend as they wish. What this latest "upgrade" says to me, most of all is that these are two homebodies that like to eat well and also eat at home. A very private and informal way to entertain. Dad at the grill, friends sitting around the yard and kids all playing. Sounds like something everyday families do.

 

[Cocoasneeze]

Problem there is many in the public who think they dont have their own money. That all of their money comes from tax money. You try and argue that, and they become quite rabid with you.

The media plays off that. Feeding into 'look where your tax dollars go'.

In Meghan and Harry's case it's even more obvious, Meghan earned very well for years for her role on Suits, for her clothing line, for Tig and other endorsements. She has plenty of her own money to pay for a barbeque area.

 

[Osipi]

In Meghan and Harry's case it's even more obvious, Meghan earned very well for years for her role on Suits, for her clothing line, for Tig and other endorsements. She has plenty of her own money to pay for a barbeque area.

Most likely too, Meghan is also still earning money from her acting career. Every time a movie she's been in and every episode of Suits is run, she's been may be earning her royalties (gotta love that word in this context) flowing into her bank account. She didn't exactly come to the BRF for their wealth with her hand out.

 

[Madame Verseau]

I don't see the problem for the barbecue pit as long as the Sussexes are paying for it. Is grilling a big thing in the UK? Do people think the Sussexes are going to install this at Frogmore

https://sleequipment.com/st2400.htm...MIuPnk18fT5AIVWR-tBh0juAw8EAQYBiABEgKGcPD_BwE

 

[Countessmeout]

I don't see the problem for the barbecue pit as long as the Sussexes are paying for it. Is grilling a big thing in the UK? Do people think the Sussexes are going to install this at Frogmore

https://sleequipment.com/st2400.htm...MIuPnk18fT5AIVWR-tBh0juAw8EAQYBiABEgKGcPD_BwE

Actually the general public on social media seems okay with it for once

Many people saying 'I am not rich and I paid more for my outdoor kitchen.'

As for the popularity in the UK: from the wide range of companies to choose from to get your outdoor kitchen and installed, I'd say popular or at least growing into such.

 

[LauraS3514]

I don't see the problem for the barbecue pit as long as the Sussexes are paying for it. Is grilling a big thing in the UK? Do people think the Sussexes are going to install this at Frogmore

https://sleequipment.com/st2400.htm...MIuPnk18fT5AIVWR-tBh0juAw8EAQYBiABEgKGcPD_BwE

It's more likely that they're installing something like this:


https://www.ocregister.com/2017/06/18/options-grow-as-cooks-turn-more-to-outdoor-kitchens/


Being a California girl, she would have seen setups like this all the time.

 

[Pranter]

Problem there is many in the public who think they dont have their own money. That all of their money comes from tax money. You try and argue that, and they become quite rabid with you.

The media plays off that. Feeding into 'look where your tax dollars go'.

I've even posted official links showing what is actually paid for and they deliberately ignore it because it doesn't suit the agenda.


LaRae

I've noticed things about both the outdoor grilling area that Harry and Meghan are installing at Frogmore Cottage and also with the birthday greeting on Instagram from Meghan.

First the outdoor grilling area. The cost doesn't matter to me one iota. Its their money to spend as they wish. What this latest "upgrade" says to me, most of all is that these are two homebodies that like to eat well and also eat at home. A very private and informal way to entertain. Dad at the grill, friends sitting around the yard and kids all playing. Sounds like something everyday families do.

I noticed too that the Instagram message was perhaps very carefully worded by Meghan. As it is their account for where they announce and talk about their various incentives and their public roles, Meghan not only made her birthday wishes to her husband very loving and personal but she also emphasized how much Harry inspires her with his passion for the work that he does.

Perhaps I'm the odd one out but I love the black and white photos that this couple seem to favor. There's just something about them with being black and white rather than color that makes them seem like they're precious moments that are frozen in time for them. The engagement photo, the wedding photo, the reception photo watching fireworks and now the family are all memorable times of their lives together that have been memorialized this way.

And you know these same folks would be screaming to high heaven if they were seen out eating at fancy places etc.


LaRae

 

[Countessmeout]

Or eating at the neighborhood pub for that matter. How many people accused them of trying to do damage control with the pub story recently

At least this way they can dine in with family or friends, and not worry about any press. And cook like they enjoy doing.

Wont stop the speculation of what celebrities they invite over. Or if they are following their 'nature loving' preaching and eating organic.