Hailing from balmy Los Angeles, it was natural that Meghan Markle would develop a taste for al fresco dining. So when designing her dream garden at Frogmore Cottage, there was one thing the Duchess of Sussex really wouldn’t scrimp on.
Sources have revealed that she and Prince Harry have plans for a £4 000 (R72 800) "outdoor seating and cooking area" at their Windsor home, complete with a patio deck, rural views – and a hand-built barbecue.
But the fashionable outdoor kitchen, sources insist, is actually rather "cosy".
A royal source said: "Living in the countryside, the duchess feels that the outside is just as important as the inside, especially in the summer when relaxing in the garden. It is perfectly placed so it is in keeping with the special listed character of Frogmore Cottage and looks out on to a lovely countryside garden, complementing the orangeries.
"It’s not overly grand, though. Quite cosy, really. It’s somewhere to cook and hang out with their friends."
A Buckingham Palace spokesman would not comment ‘on the layout and contents’ of the couple’s home, but sources stressed that ‘outdoor entertaining spaces’ are privately funded by the couple.