The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live under the Heathrow pathway, just five miles away from the runways of Europe’s busiest airport.

The royal couple reportedly wanted to block out the sound of over 1,300 planes a day taking off and landing directly over their luxury Windsor home for new baby Archie.

Without it they might have struggled to get a decent night’s kip for themselves and two-month-old son Archie.

The original reported estimate for soundproofing was just £50,000, but experts believe the figure is much higher.

It emerged last week that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have so far spent a whopping £2.4million of public money on their home improvements.

The total bill once Frogmore — where the couple moved to this April and are now bringing up baby Archie — is finished is expected to reach up to £3.2 million.

But a royal spokeswoman for the couple has denied the noise-cancelling claims and said: “Speculation that £1m of the renovations at Frogmore was spent on soundproofing is a wildly inaccurate fabrication.”

Experts told the Mirror the soundproofing to the Grade II-listed house includes new “blocking layers” under the 7,500 sq ft tiled roof.

Further layers would have been needed above the ceilings and within an estimated 12,000 sq ft of external walls.

All exterior doors would need to be soundproofed and 68 windows upgraded to triple-glazing, at up to £1,000 each.

Soundproofing technicians claim the work could cost between £500,000 and £1million.

Locals reacted with anger when finding out how much soundproofing the cottage could have cost.

One local businessman Kye Merkett, 45, who lives in Datchett, four miles from Heathrow, said to the Mirror: “There’s no reason they couldn’t pay for it.

“They should put their hand in their own pocket or put up with the noise like the rest of us.”

The money for their renovations comes from the Sovereign Grant, valued at £82.2million this year and comprised of profits from the Queen’s property portfolio (the Crown Estate), which are paid to the Government.

“They should put their hand in their own pocket or put up with the noise like the rest of us”

Kye Merkett

A total of 25% of these profits are paid to the monarchy to fund the upkeep of its property, travel, security and staff. While the Sovereign Grant isn’t taxpayer money, it is considered to be public funds, belonging to the state.

The renovations were said to be spent on new water mains, a nursery for Archie, a designer kitchen and high security.

The newlyweds left their previous home at Kensington Palace, where Prince William and Kate also live, and moved into 19th Century Frogmore Cottage at the end of April amid reports of a rift between the couples.

• Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor
• Meghan Markle
• Prince Harry

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