Prince Harry and Meghan are expected to move out of their cottage in Kensington Palace into luxurious Apartment 1 - at a cost of £1.4 million.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will reportedly become neighbours with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they settle in to the 21-room apartment.

And in order to make the apartment fit for a royal couple the palace has forked out an eye-watering total of £1.4 million according to Hello!

Renovations on Kensington Palace roof are reported to have cost £1.4 million according to the annual Sovereign Grant report

Repairs have reportedly been made in order for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to move into the 21-room Apartment 1

According to the annual Sovereign Grant report: 'The existing roof required complete renewal after years of patch repairs, evidence of batten decay and structural defects in some chimneys.'

The property's current residence, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester are reported to have offered their home to Meghan and Harry upon their engagement and are expected to relocate to elsewhere in the palace.

MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for a comment.

Rennovations are believed to have begun back in November when the couple announced their engagement.

According to reports, Meghan persuaded Harry to give up smoking and cut down on alcohol in the hope of starting a family after their wedding, meaning that they may need a larger home than their two-bedroom cottage sooner rather than later.

Royal courtiers were last year keen to let it be known that the couple would immediately be living at Nottingham Cottage - Harry's 'batchelor pad' in the grounds of the Kensington Palace - for the foreseeable future.

According to reports the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester offered to move out of Apartment 1 in order for Harry and Meghan to move in and start a family

If the couple were to move into Apartment 1, they would be neighbours with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge who live in Apartment 1A

But insiders have known for some time that it was always Harry's intention to move out of the cosy two-bed 'Nott Cott' as soon as possible and into Apartment 1 - a stunning 21-room wing of the palace.

Soon after their engagement, the Queen's cousin Richard - the Duke of Gloucester, 73 - whose three children are now grown up, offered to vacate his apartment at the palace so Harry and Meghan could have it.

The Gloucesters are set to move into the smaller but very comfortable apartment soon to be vacated by the Queen's private secretary, Sir Christopher Geidt.

Who has lived at Apartment 1? In 1805, Prince Augustus Frederick, Duke of Sussex, the sixth son of George was allocated a number of apartments in the south-west corner of Kensington Palace, which became known as Partment 1. It became home to his vast collection of art and science books, comprising of over 50,000 volume, a huge arrray of clocks and singing birtds that were allowed to fly freely around the apartments. His second wifem the Duchess of Inverness lived on at Kensington palace until 1873, when Apartment 1 was passed on to Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. She installed an art studio where the statue of Queen Victoria in Kensington Gardens was sculpted. She also bricked up one of the windows after discovering her husband Lor Lorne was climbing out to visit a love at night. The apartment lay vacant after her death in 1939 until 1955, when Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, and her children moved in. At this time, the apartment was divided into two, creating Apartment 1A, which is now home to Kate and William. The Duchess of Kent remavined living at the palace until 1968, when she died from a brain tumour. Its most recent occupants, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester moved in after their marriage in 1972, and it became their family home where they raised their three children. Advertisement

When they do move in, it will make the couple neighbours to 20-room Apartment 1A which Harry's brother Prince William and his growing family live in.

William and Kate also lived at Nottingham Cottage before they started a family - it almost seems like a right of passage for the two Royal brothers.

Several years ago a royal spokesman said that Harry had set his sights on grander accommodation at Kensington Palace but refused to confirm which apartment it was, other than to say it was currently occupied.

In 2014, another member of the family, Princess Michael, suggested in an interview with Tatler magazine that Apartment 1 would be perfect for Harry to move in to when he got older and wanted to start a family.

Princess Michael said Wiliam and Kate have a 'lovely big apartment, next to the Gloucesters, who I think will leave their enormous apartment because their children have gone.'

She added: 'They're rattling around this huge space and I think Prince Harry might go there. Then they'd be next door to each other - very good move.'

It has been rumoured for some time that Harry had his eyes on another larger apartment in Kensington Palace for him and Meghan to move into.

The rumoured new apartment was said to be much closer to the huge wing that has been home for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge since September, when they moved back to London from Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate to coincide with Prince George starting school in Battersea.

Indeed Apartment 1 and Apartment 1A are as close together as it is possible to be - they are linked by adjoining doors so Harry and Meghan can come and go to see Kate and William and also visit young Prince George and Princess Charlotte whenever they choose.

Earlier this year came the first hint that Harry had chosen Apartment 1 when a line of fir trees was planted to obscure the view of the apartment's entrance from the public walking up and down Kensington Palace Gardens, a road 100 meters to the west of Kensington Palace where some of London's richest people live - including Tamara Eccleston and Roman Abromavich.

The couple will also be sharing quarters with Princess Eugenie who lives at Ivy Cottage, a three-bedroom property that was previously the family home of the deputy head of the palace's property section.