Harry and Meghan spent the early days of their courtship at Nottingham Cottage, and it was where the Prince proposed. But Meghan felt the property was ‘belittling’, according to a royal author
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their first home together in Nottingham Cottage, and it went on to feature heavily in the couple’s explosive Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. But the Duchess was less than impressed by her first royal residence, according to an explosive new book.
The two-bedroom cottage, located in the grounds of Kensington Palace, has a rich royal history. Prince William and Princess Kate resided there together after their marriage in 2011 and spent the first few months of Prince George’s life there before relocating in 2013. That same year, Prince Harry moved into ‘Nott Cott’ and it later became the setting for the Sussexes’ early courtship; Harry even proposed to Meghan in the 1,324 square feet property.
But Meghan was unhappy with the residence, according to royal author Tom Quinn. Writing in his new book, Yes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants – which has been excerpted in The Times – Quinn states: “‘Meghan felt it was so small that it must be a reflection of how the royal family were belittling her husband. 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. But for Meghan things were more complex. She saw Kate and William living just a few yards away in Kensington Palace itself with teams of live-in servants.”
It’s not the first time Nottingham Cottage has come up in conversation. In his bombshell memoir Spare, Harry, wrote: “I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace.”
Harry and Meghan moved out of Nottingham Cottage in 2019, setting up home in Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle – a wedding gift from the late Queen – ahead of the birth of their first child, Archie. But Meghan was again said to be unhappy with their living arrangements and made a request that the monarch deemed entirely “inappropriate”.
According to The Times, Harry and Meghan wanted to live within the castle itself and reportedly asked if “living quarters could be made available after their marriage”. At the time, only the Queen and Philip had private apartments within the actual castle, with everyone else living elsewhere on the estate. The monarch deemed their request ‘inappropriate’ and “politely but firmly suggested” that they live in Frogmore Cottage instead.
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 as saying: “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.'”
Of course, Harry and Meghan no longer live on the Windsor estate. The couple stepped down from royal duties at the start of 2020 and moved to California, where they continue to live. They had hoped to keep their UK home but in March 2023 they were instructed to move out. A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan at the time confirmed they “have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage”.
