Adjusting to royal life was never going to be simple, but accounts emerging from palace insiders and royal biographers suggest that accommodation became one of the most persistent sources of tension for Meghan Markle after her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry. According to reporting and commentary referenced in the Daily Mail, the Duchess struggled deeply with the living arrangements assigned to the newlyweds, interpreting them not as tradition but as a reflection of status.

Inside Nottingham Cottage, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s first …

After the wedding, Harry and Meghan were placed in Nottingham Cottage, a modest two-bedroom residence within the grounds of Kensington Palace. By royal standards, it was small but practical, offering privacy while sitting just steps from central London. Royal biographer Tom Quinn writes that Meghan was unimpressed from the outset, later describing life at Kensington Palace as feeling “like a kind of prison” once the initial excitement wore off. The routine of being driven in and out for official duties reportedly added to her sense of confinement rather than prestige.

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Less than a year later, the couple relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, a move presented publicly as a generous wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II. The five-bedroom property, originally a staff residence built in 1801, underwent extensive renovations before the couple moved in. One builder quoted by Quinn said the aim was to transform it into something resembling a “Californian condo,” reflecting Meghan’s personal tastes rather than traditional royal aesthetics.

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Despite the scale of the refurbishment — reported to cost around £2.4 million — Frogmore did not resolve Meghan’s dissatisfaction. Insiders claim she viewed the property’s location as too remote, allegedly complaining that she did not want to “retire to rural obscurity.” One source compared the isolation to “living on the Russian steppe,” arguing that Windsor made Kensington seem like the center of the universe by comparison.

According to one insider, ‘Meghan realised that living there would be like living in the Russian steppe. Its remoteness made Kensington seem like the centre of the universe’

These frustrations were not only about geography but about perception. Quinn suggests Meghan felt the modest size of Nottingham Cottage was symbolic, interpreting it as the royal family belittling Harry’s position relative to his brother, Prince William. In contrast, William and Catherine, Princess of Wales were living in the much larger Apartment 1A within Kensington Palace itself. Royal author Ingrid Seward has gone further, stating Meghan was “incredibly envious” of Catherine’s living arrangements and believed she would eventually live inside Windsor Castle.

The Duchess of Sussex , 44, was less than impressed with the quaint, two-bedroom Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace that was chosen for her and Prince Harry after their 2018 wedding, according to royal biographer Tom Quinn

From the perspective of palace tradition, this mindset represented a fundamental misunderstanding. As one insider quoted by Quinn observed, senior royals rarely measure their importance by square footage. Having grown up surrounded by privilege, they tend to take material comforts for granted. For Meghan, however, the physical environment appeared inseparable from how she believed she and Harry were being valued.

Ironically, Prince Harry later expressed the opposite sentiment in his 2023 memoir Spare. He described Frogmore Cottage as a place he loved instantly, writing warmly about morning walks, friendly gardeners, and even the resident swans. His recollection paints Frogmore as peaceful and grounding, suggesting a disconnect between his experience and Meghan’s reported frustration.

Not all reports from Windsor were benign. Royal historian Hugo Vickers has claimed there were incidents involving Meghan’s alleged rudeness to staff, including an episode serious enough that the head gardener reportedly complained directly to Queen Elizabeth II. According to Vickers, the Queen reprimanded Meghan, reinforcing her long-standing insistence on respect for household staff.

Despite the investment and upheaval, the Sussexes spent only about six months living at Frogmore before relocating permanently to California in 2020, where they purchased a £11 million mansion in Montecito. The contrast between the heavily renovated cottage and the sprawling American estate has not been lost on critics, many of whom view it as evidence that the royal compromise never truly satisfied Meghan.

When Harry and Meghan stepped down from senior royal duties — a move later dubbed “Megxit” — Frogmore was initially intended to remain their UK base. Harry repaid the full refurbishment cost, emphasizing financial independence and responsibility. Yet following the publication of Spare, Buckingham Palace issued notice for the couple to vacate the property. Official explanations cited a desire to streamline royal residences, though commentators such as Omid Scobie have suggested the decision was also influenced by Charles’ reaction to Harry’s memoir.

Today, Frogmore Cottage remains empty, a quiet symbol of a relationship that never fully settled. For some observers, the property encapsulates a deeper clash between expectation and tradition. One reader comment circulating online sums it up bluntly: “Royal life isn’t about choosing the biggest house — it’s about accepting the one you’re given.”

Whether these accounts reflect personal dissatisfaction, cultural misunderstanding, or a mismatch between modern celebrity expectations and ancient royal norms remains debated. What is clear is that housing — often dismissed as a minor detail — became a powerful symbol of belonging, hierarchy, and ultimately, alienation within the royal system Meghan entered and later rejected.