Meghan Markle’s Unhappiness with Nottingham Cottage, Her First Royal Residence

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has recently opened up about her time at Nottingham Cottage, her first royal residence.

In an interview, she admitted that becoming a royal meant losing her freedom, which made her unhappy.

However, there have also been claims that the small three-bedroom cottage was a source of friction between the Sussexes and Cambridges.

According to royal author Tom Quinn, Meghan was unhappy with the disparity in size between Nottingham Cottage and William and Kate's large apartment.

He claimed that it was a point of contention, as Nottingham Cottage was much smaller than their apartment.

Quinn said, “It was pointed out to them in no uncertain terms that they weren't in the First Division, because that place is held by William and Kate.

Inevitably that led to friction.”

Despite this, the book Finding Freedom claims that Meghan was perfectly happy with Nottingham Cottage.

Co-authors Omad Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that she felt at home in the “cozy” house.

They argued that while the cottage was definitely small, Meghan was just thrilled to be living with Harry.

Before moving to Nottingham Cottage full-time, Meghan had left clothes and a few decorative touches there.

However, after moving in, she had to find room for all her belongings.

Her “natural eye for design” helped to dress up the house in her style, but there wasn't really anything she could do about the size.

The authors claimed that there were parts of the second floor where the drop ceilings were so low that Harry was forced to stoop to avoid hitting his head.

What's more, one of the bedrooms was reportedly almost entirely taken up by Meghan's clothes.

Despite these challenges, Meghan was content with her new life in London.

She enjoyed sharing a “postcode” with her partner after months of long-distance dating.

The authors of Finding Freedom described their life at Nottingham Cottage as a narrative of “domestic bliss.”

In late 2018, Meghan and Harry announced that they were leaving London and relocating to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

They spent £2.4 million of taxpayers' money refurbishing Frogmore, which they later paid back when they stepped down as senior royals.

While the size of Nottingham Cottage may have been a contributing factor, there was also more privacy at Frogmore Cottage.

Additionally, the escalating feud between William and Harry had led the pair to want to split their household and run separate offices.

Overall, while there were some challenges with Nottingham Cottage's size, Meghan was able to make it feel like home.

She enjoyed her time there and was content with her new life in London.

However, the move to Frogmore Cottage made sense for a variety of reasons, including more privacy and the need to separate households.