Why Was Meghan Jealous of Kate Before Marrying Harry? A Former Royal Butler Has An Answer
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton weren't on good terms during the Duchess of Sussex's time in the royal fold. Prince Harry has detailed their frosty bond in his memoir, revealing that Middleton once made Markle cry over Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress. Commenting on their tense relationship, former royal butler Paul Burrell recently alleged that Markle was jealous of Middleton even before marrying Harry. He claimed she envied the Princess of Wales for moving into the luxurious Kensington Palace, complete with its own ballroom.
Burrell, in his upcoming book, The Royal Insider, takes readers back to the time when Markle and Harry were newly engaged. He wrote, "Meghan seemed to have saved him." The Duchess had moved in with Harry at Nottingham Cottage, a small, 17th-century, two-bedroom house on the grounds of Kensington Palace. At the time, William and Middleton lived in Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A, and despite the proximity, Burrell noted that the contrast in lifestyle was striking. Markle reportedly caught wind of her in-laws' luxurious apartment when she and Harry were invited for dinner. According to the royal butler, "This may be where the trouble began."
Nottingham Cottage happened to be the place where Harry popped the question to his future wife over a roast chicken dinner in 2017. But in their 2022 Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, the couple didn't speak too kindly about their life at the Cottage. Echoing Burrell's claims, Markle pointedly said, "As far as people were concerned, we were living in a Palace. [But] we were living in a cottage. Kensington Palace sounds very regal; of course, it does say palace in the name. But Nottingham Cottage was small," comparing her residence to that of the Waleses.
Chiming in, Harry joked about the 'low ceilings,' given his height. He said, "The whole thing was really small on a slight lean with low ceilings. Whoever lived there before must have been small." Markle added, "It was a chapter in our lives where I don't think anyone could believe what it was actually like behind-the-scenes." The Duke revealed that when talk show host Oprah Winfrey came over for tea, she was shocked by their accommodations. She reportedly said, "No one would ever believe it." William and Middleton are said to have also lived in Nottingham before their marriage while awaiting renovations in Kensington Palace.
The Duke of Sussex also mentioned in his memoir, Spare, that he was embarrassed to bring Markle over to Nottingham. He penned, "I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace." The Prince thought it would be best to tell his girlfriend that his royal pad was 'Palace adjacent,' referring to its proximity to Kensington Palace. After the birth of Prince Archie in 2019, Harry and Markle relocated to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, before ultimately moving to Montecito, California, in 2020 after stepping down as senior royals.