Meghan Markle believed the Royal Family were “belittling” Prince Harry over the size of their first royal home, Nottingham Cottage, as documented in a new royal book.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their first home together on the grounds of Kensington Palace, and it featured heavily in their docuseries ‘Harry & Meghan’ on Netflix.
According to royal author, Tom Quinn, in his book, ‘Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants’, he claims: “Meghan felt it was so small that it must be a reflection of how the Royal Family were belittling her husband.”
Excerpted in The Times, the author writes: “She just didn’t understand that real royals don’t care much about houses and material possessions because, having always had them, they take them for granted, said one member of staff who helped out regularly at Nottingham Cottage.”
Quinn continued: “A rather beautiful house in the grounds of a famous palace hardly seemed to Harry the equivalent to being forced to live in a shed at the end of the garden.
According to The Times, Harry and Meghan wanted to live within Windsor Castle itself and reportedly asked if “living quarters could be made available after their marriage”.
In her book The New Royals, royal expert Katie Nicholl says the Queen’s decision to give the couple Frogmore was a “big deal” and that she had hoped Harry and Meghan would “respect” her generosity.
Her cousin Lady Elizabeth Anson, who died in 2020, is quoted: “The cottage was a big deal. The Queen’s entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. It is essentially her back yard, her solitude, and her privacy.
“She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said, ‘I hope they’ll respect it.'”