Now that they have a baby on the way the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton are refurbishing their new Kensington Palace home and have so far cost taxpayers around $1.5 million.

Will and Kate are hoping to move into Apartment 1A, the 57 room residence that Princess Margaret once lived in with her new baby.

According to the Daily Mail, the couple is paying for soft furnishings but when it comes to the cost of basic building such as heating, electric, and plastering, it is being paid for by money given to the Queen by the Government.

The internal work has been estimated to cost over $900,000 and the renewal of the roof added more than an additional $600,000 to the bill.

[For photos of Will and Kate's home under construction click HERE]

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess expressed that the cost of the renovations were being watched however, the added work on the roof had been long overdue. Not to mention that the internal refurbishments have noticeably increased due to the removal of asbestos.

The spokesperson said, "The essential structural work needed to be completed whoever moved in. The last major works in the apartment took place around the time that Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon moved in more than 50 years ago.

"The cost of interior decorating and furnishing of course falls to the Royal Family privately."

The spokesman also mentioned that occupied royal palaces are" held in trust for the nation." That means the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge do not own the apartment, and neither they nor the Royal Family can sell it.

The also Daily Mail reported that Apartment 1A is a spacious four-story property with its own large south-facing walled garden. It takes up half the Clock Tower wing which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King William and Queen Mary.

The living space has previously included five reception rooms, three main bedrooms, dressing rooms, bathrooms, a night and day nursery, nine staff bedrooms and more than 20 'ancillary' rooms.

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