Meghan Markle “Thought Harry Deserved More” From the Royals When They Met

Harry even mentioned how embarrassed he was about a few things in his memoir.

When Meghan Markle met her now-husband Prince Harry, he was most definitely a prince, but an insider explains that even with that title, she thought that he “deserved more materially” compared to his brother. In his new book, Catherine, The Princess of Wales, biographer Robert Jobson wrote that when Harry and Meghan first met, he was living in Nottingham Cottage and all parties involved were not too impressed with the situation.

Compared to some more lavish royal residences, “Nott Cott” had two bedrooms and one bathroom, though it was still on the grounds of Kensington Palace. In comparison, Kate Middleton and Prince William lived in Apartment 1A, which spans 20 rooms. Jobson explains that the stark difference between the brothers’ abodes was something Meghan noticed right away—and that she was “taken aback” by the “disparity.”

“When they went to have drinks at William and Catherine’s palatial apartment, she was apparently ‘taken aback’ at the disparity between the brothers. Meghan understood that William was above her husband in the royal pecking order as the heir to the throne, but she thought Harry was also a royal prince, so he deserved more materially,” Jobson wrote. “She was piqued by the disparity.”

In his 2023 memoir, Spare, Harry wrote about how awkward it was to bring Meghan to Nottingham Cottage.

“I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed,” he explained. “Nott Cott was no palace.”

After Harry and Meghan got married in 2018, Queen Elizabeth gave them Frogmore Cottage, which has five bedrooms. They spent £2.4 million (approximately $3 million) renovating the property and moved out in 2020, when they stepped down from their roles as senior royals. Since then, Frogmore Cottage has sat empty, even though King Charles reportedly evicted Harry and Meghan from their home.