A princess living a life of luxury with her prince charming in a castle is the ending to many fairy tales. However, the reality for most British princesses differs significantly from the stories of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Instead, they often reside in cottages surrounding Windsor, in the apartments at Kensington Palace, or in other grace-and-favour homes via Daily Mail.
In Meghan Markle’s case, she reportedly believed that marrying into the Royal Family would lead her to live in a royal castle. However, the Duchess of Sussex first moved into Nottingham Cottage, located on the grounds of Kensington Palace, and later settled in Frogmore Cottage, which is close to Windsor.
As per Royal insider Ingrid Seward, Meghan not only reportedly thought she was going to be living in a castle but was also ‘incredibly envious’ of Kate Middleton.
‘I think that Meghan must have been incredibly envious and then jealous of Kate. I heard Meghan actually thought she was going to be a princess and live in Windsor Castle.
‘Instead, there’s William and Kate with this beautiful house, while they are stuck in Nottingham Cottage which Harry used to call “my hovel”,’ Seward told the Daily Telegraph while promoting her book My Mother and I.
The so-called ‘hovel’ that Seward is referring to is a quaint cottage in the manicured grounds of Kensington Palace.
By royal standards, it is still a modest home, featuring two bedrooms, one bathroom, small reception rooms, and a kitchen. However, it does provide access to all the amenities available in Kensington Palace and other royal residences. Meghan’s dissatisfaction with the ‘tiny’ Nottingham Cottage is well documented. In his bestselling book, ‘Yes Ma’am’, Tom Quinn noted that the first sign that all was not well with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex became evident while they were living within the grounds of Kensington Palace.
Quinn said: ‘Starting life as a member of the royal family in Nottingham Cottage was the beginning of all Meghan’s troubles – she felt it was so small that it must be a reflection on 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.’
As per Quinn, Meghan not only believed the home was too small for her larger standards but she was ‘compounded by a vague feeling that the Kensington Palace staff tended to treat Harry as less important than his brother’.
At the time, Prince William and Kate Middleton lived in the much larger apartment 1A inside the palace itself.
