During Meghan Markle’s time as a working royal, her relationship with Kate Middleton was far from warm.

Prince Harry even detailed their difficulties in his memoir, including an incident where Kate allegedly made Meghan cry over Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress.

Former royal butler Paul Burrell has now suggested that Meghan’s resentment toward Kate may have begun even earlier. According to him, Meghan envied the Princess of Wales for moving into the lavish Kensington Palace apartment, which included its own ballroom.

Life at Nottingham Cottage

In his upcoming book, The Royal Insider, Burrell revisits the time when Harry and Meghan had just become engaged. Meghan moved into Nottingham Cottage, a modest 17th-century two-bedroom house on the Kensington Palace grounds. Meanwhile, William and Kate resided in the expansive Apartment 1A at the Palace.

Burrell recalled that Meghan became aware of the stark difference in their living conditions when she and Harry joined William and Kate for dinner. He hinted, “This may be where the trouble began.”

Nottingham Cottage was also where Harry proposed to Meghan over a roast chicken dinner in 2017. Yet, years later in their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the couple did not describe their time there fondly.

Meghan and Harry’s Take on Their Home

Reflecting on their life at the Cottage, Meghan remarked, “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.”

Harry added with a laugh, “The whole thing was really small on a slight lean with low ceilings. Whoever lived there before must have been small.”

Meghan went on: “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 recalled how shocked Oprah Winfrey was when she visited for tea, with her exclaiming, “No one would ever believe it.” Interestingly, William and Kate had also lived in Nottingham Cottage before their marriage, while waiting for renovations at Kensington Palace to be completed.

Harry’s Embarrassment Over His Home

In Spare, Harry admitted feeling uneasy about showing Meghan the modest cottage. “I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace,” he confessed. He even tried to reassure her by describing the house as “Palace adjacent,” referencing its proximity to Kensington Palace.

After the birth of their first child, Archie, in 2019, Harry and Meghan moved to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. A year later, after stepping back from royal duties, they relocated permanently to Montecito, California.