Meghan Markle’s transition into royal life was far from seamless, as she openly struggled with adapting to her new role.

One of her primary concerns was the living arrangements provided to her and Prince Harry after their 2018 wedding, a fairy-tale event that captured global attention.

The Duchess of Sussex, at 44, was notably dissatisfied with the modest two-bedroom residence located on the grounds of Kensington Palace, designated for the newlyweds.

According to royal biographer Tom Quinn, Meghan was particularly critical of the “small” cottage, at one point likening life at Kensington Palace to being in a “kind of prison.”

In his book, “Kensington Palace,” Quinn explains that once the initial allure of royal life faded, Meghan was “horrified” by the idea of being routinely chauffeured from the palace to various official events and engagements.

Less than a year into their marriage, the couple relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, a wedding gift from the late Queen Elizabeth II.

The five-bedroom property was extensively renovated for Harry, now 41, and Meghan – with one builder telling Mr Quinn it was being made to look like a ‘Californian condo’. 

Despite the effort, their move to Frogmore Cottage was the ‘final straw’ for the Duchess, who allegedly complained, ‘I don’t want to retire to rural obscurity’ when she went to oversee the renovations.

Quoting an insider, Mr Quinn wrote: ‘Meghan realised that living there would be like living in the Russian steppe. Its remoteness made Kensington seem like the centre of the universe.’

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

While Frogmore Cottage may certainly have been ‘considerably bigger’ than Meghan and Harry’s Kensington Palace home, Nottingham Cottage is located in the heart of London.

‘It was, and is, cosy, wonderfully private and yet within a minute’s walk of Kensington High Street’, wrote Mr Quinn.

The couple, who had initially hoped life at Windsor would offer ‘the perfect retreat from what Meghan and Harry saw as an unsympathetic, unfair world of media speculation and criticism’, reportedly struggled with its remote location. 

Mr Quinn wrote: ‘As Meghan and Harry quickly discovered, their flight to Windsor did not mean an escape from the world’s enquiring eye; instead, it revealed to that world a lack of foresight.’ 

By the time their new reality set in, it was too late to up and move again. 

Meghan, who was pregnant with her and Harry’s first child Archie, had recruited Soho House Club designer Vicky Charles to lead a six-month renovation project of the five-bedroom property at an eye-watering cost of £2.4million.

Some of the most expensive additions to the Grade II listed house included a £50,000 soundproofing system, as well as underfloor heating and a copper bath.

That is to say, an exorbitant amount of public money had already been poured into the house’s renovations, and as Meghan’s due date drew ever closer, she had little choice but to accept her fate as a country-bound royal. 

Writing in his bestseller Yes Ma’am, Mr Quinn claimed that life at Nottingham Cottage ‘was the beginning of all Meghan’s troubles’. 

Less than a year later, the Sussexes were relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor as a wedding present from the late Queen Elizabeth II

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’

He added: ‘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.’

According to royal author Ingrid Seward, Meghan was ‘incredibly envious’ of Kate and the life she was living in much bigger Apartment 1A, based in the palace itself.

Yet while Nottingham Cottage was modest by royal standards – featuring two bedrooms, one bathroom, small reception rooms and a kitchen, it still held access to all of Kensington Palace’s amenities. 

‘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”,’ Ms Seward told the Daily Telegraph while promoting her book My Mother and I.

According to royal author Ingrid Seward, Meghan was ‘incredibly envious’ of the Princess of Wales (left) and the life she was living in much bigger Apartment 1A, based in Kensington Palace

Nottingham Cottage was modest by royal standards while William and Kate were, at that time, based in the much larger Apartment 1A (pictured). A source told Mr Quinn: ‘Meghan spotted immediately that Harry wasn’t quite as central to things as his brother’

Harry, however, loved Frogmore Cottage and said ‘it felt as if we were destined to live there’ in his 2023 memoir Spare.  

‘Meg and I moved our office into Buckingham Palace. We also moved into a new home. Frogmore was ready. We loved that place,’ he wrote. 

‘From the first minute. It felt as if we were destined to live there. 

‘We couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning, go for a long walk in the gardens, check in with the swans. Especially grumpy Steve.

‘We met the Queen’s gardeners, got to know their names and the names of all the flowers. They were thrilled at how much we appreciated, and praised, their artistry.’

Royal historian Hugo Vickers had suggested, however, things weren’t always smooth sailing for Frogmore’s inhabitants. 

Mr Vickers pointed to one particular incident when Meghan was allegedly so rude to an undergardener that the head gardener in Windsor was forced to complain to the late Queen. 

‘The head gardener went to complain to the Queen and she told Meghan off because she obviously didn’t like people being rude to staff,’ he told The Sun.

Despite the lengthy renovations, the pair spent just six months living in the house before relocating to California in 2020, where they bought an £11million mansion in Montecito.

When Harry and Meghan decided to step down from senior royal duties – later dubbed ‘Megxit’ – questions were raised about the future of Frogmore Cottage. 

Writing in his bestseller Yes Ma’am, Mr Quinn claimed that life at Nottingham Cottage (pictured) ‘was the beginning of all Meghan’s troubles’. He added: ‘She felt it was so small that it must be a reflection on how the royal family were belittling her husband’

Despite spending £4.2million to make Frogmore Cottage look like a ‘Californian condo’, the pair spent just six months there before relocating to California, where they bought an £11million mansion in Montecito

The Duke of Sussex paid back the full cost of refurbishing Frogmore in 2020, and the couple intended to use the house as their base in the UK after stepping down from royal duties. A few days after Prince Harry’s memoir Spare hit bookshelves, however, Buckingham Palace issued an eviction notice to the Sussexes

 The Duke of Sussex paid back the full cost of refurbishing Frogmore in 2020, and the couple intended to use the house as their base in the UK after stepping down from royal duties. 

A few days after Prince Harry’s memoir Spare hit bookshelves, however, Buckingham Palace issued an eviction notice to the Sussexes.  

Writing in his book Endgame: Inside The Royal Family And The Monarchy’s Fight For Survival, royal expert Omid Scobie noted the decision to evict Harry and Meghan from their former home was two-fold. 

While Charles’ reaction to Harry’s memoir was ‘undoubtedly’ a factor in changing out the residents of Frogmore, it was also an attempt to reduce the number of properties the royal family uses, Mr Scobie suggested. 

To this day, the property lies empty – with previous reports suggesting that Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was offered the option to move into the cottage instead of residing at Royal Lodge. 

In 2023, The Daily Mail revealed that the King had offered his younger brother Frogmore Cottage, a more modest property than 30-bedroom Royal Lodge, where he has been residing with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, since 2008.

However, Andrew reportedly saw this as a ‘demotion’ too far and refused.

Last month, King Charles stripped Andrew of his prince title and ousted him from Royal Lodge over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.  

In an unprecedented statement, Buckingham Palace said the ‘censures [were] deemed necessary’ and that Andrew would move to ‘alternative private accommodation’. 

‘He continues to deny the allegations against him.’