Meghan Markle was, according to a new royal biography, ‘‘taken aback’ at the disparity between’ Prince Harry and Prince William, and felt her now-husband ‘deserved more materially.’

Meghan Markle’s observation about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Kensington Palace home might’ve started “all the tensions,” a new biography has claimed. The Duchess of Sussex, 42, reportedly noticed how different Prince Harry lived from his brother and sister-in-law and thought he “deserved more materially.”

How ‘lavishly’ William and Kate lived compared to Harry ‘really surprised’ Meghan

In his new book, Catherine, The Princess of Wales: The Biography, serialized by the Daily Mail, royal author Robert Jobson explored the origin of the rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Prince and Princess of Wales.

So, what might’ve started the estrangement and years of not speaking? According to the book, an observation of Meghan’s. She allegedly highlighted how different Harry was treated from his brother.

Namely, how William and Kate lived in Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A, which has 20 rooms. Meanwhile, Harry—and eventually Meghan—lived at Nottingham Cottage with two bedrooms and one bathroom.

“It is understood that when Meghan and Harry had gone round to have drinks at William and Catherine’s apartment, while they were still living at Nottingham Cottage opposite, Meghan had been ‘taken aback’ at the disparity between the brothers,” Jobson wrote.

“I am not saying Meghan was jealous, but she was surprised how lavishly Harry’s brother was living compared to where they were living,” a source told the author. “It was perhaps the beginning of all the tensions between the couples.”

“Meghan understood that William was above her husband in the royal pecking order as the heir to the throne,” Jobson claimed. “But she thought Harry was also a royal prince, so he deserved more materially. She was piqued by the disparity.”

William and Kate’s Kensington Palace home wowed Meghan

Kensington Palace | Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images

In his 2023 Spare memoir, Harry shared how Meghan reacted to seeing William and Kate’s Kensington Palace home for the first time. It was June 2018, and they went to Apartment 1A for a “clear the air” meeting over tea.

“I saw Meg’s eyes widen as we entered their front door, walked past their front sitting room, down their hallway, [and] into their study,” he recalled, noting she’d said “wow” multiple times.

“The wallpaper, the crown molding, the walnut bookshelves lined with color-coordinated volumes, the priceless art. Gorgeous. Like a museum. And we both told them so.”

The grandness of William and Kate’s home also had Harry and Meghan thinking of their own. “We complimented them lavishly on their renovation. Though we also thought sheepishly of our IKEA lamps, our discount sofa recently bought on sale, with Meg’s credit card, from sofa.com.”

Today, Apartment 1A is no longer William and Kate’s main residence. They now live at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, England, near Windsor Castle. Meanwhile, the Kensington Palace apartment remains their London home.

She compared Harry’s Nottingham Cottage home to a ‘frat house’

When Meghan first saw Nott Cott, which she eventually moved into with Harry, she wasn’t exactly impressed. Harry recalled how Meghan reacted to seeing his then-home for the first time in Spare.

“I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed: Nott Cott was no palace,” he said. “Nott Cott was palace adjacent—that was the best you could say for it.”

“When Meghan arrived, I watched her as she walked up the front path through the white picket fence. To my relief, she made no sign of dismay and gave no indication of disillusionment.”

At least not until she walked inside. “Then she said something about a frat house.” Harry admitted her description “wasn’t far off.” He had a “Union Jack [flag] in the corner. (The one I’d waved at the North Pole.) Old rifle on the TV stand. (A gift from Oman, after an official visit.) Xbox console.”

Harry reasoned that Nott Cott, with its “shabby” furniture, was “just a place to keep” his “stuff,” and that he didn’t spend “much” time there. Additionally, “the rooms were tiny and the ceilings were doll’s house low.” The “quick tour” he gave Meghan took all of “30 seconds” as he reminded her to ‘Mind your head!’”

Harry and Meghan now live in a sprawling home in Montecito, California, which has nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms.