Meghan Markle, despite her brief tenure as a senior working royal, lived the life of royalty, reaping all the benefits that come with being part of the Royal family.
Following her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry, the Sussexes had the privilege of calling two Royal abodes their home, even though it was less than two years from their wedding to their high-profile departure from Royal duties in 2020.
Before their glittering Windsor wedding, Meghan settled into life with Harry at his modest Nottingham Cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace, which is also where he proposed.
This revelation follows the recent uncovering of Prince Harry’s profound loss amidst the Royal rift.
A mere few months post-nuptials, the couple moved to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate, a gift from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Despite eventually growing quite fond of Frogmore Cottage, The Times reported that the newlyweds initially had their hearts set on a different Royal residence.
As previously reported, Meghan allegedly expressed a desire to live within Windsor Castle, with the Sussexes enquiring if “living quarters could be made available after their marriage”. However, the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly dismissed this idea as “inappropriate”, given that at the time, only the Queen and Prince Philip enjoyed private living spaces within the castle, reports the Mirror.
Royal author and historian Hugo Vickers previously shared with The Times : “There are empty bedrooms and suites in the private apartments which the Sussexes may have had their eye on, or perhaps some former living quarters in the castle grounds converted into other things.
“But I can see how it might not be entirely appropriate to have a young family living there.”
The newspaper noted that Royal aides consider Windsor a “a special place” for the Sussexes, being the location of their wedding and Archie’s christening.
In her book The New Royals, Royal commentator Katie Nicholl recounts the late Queen’s gesture of offering Frogmore to Harry and Meghan. Citing Lady Elizabeth Anson, who passed away in 2020, Katie wrote: “The cottage was a big deal. The Queen’s entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. It is essentially her backyard, her solitude, and her privacy.
“She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage. We all thought it was very big of her. She said ‘I hope they’ll respect it’.”
Prince Harry expressed his fondness for Frogmore in his 2023 memoir Spare, stating: “We loved that place. From the first minute. It felt as if we were destined to live there.
“We couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning, go for a long walk in the gardens, check in with the swans. Especially grumpy Steve. We met the Queen’s gardeners, got to know their names and the names of all the flowers. They were thrilled at how much we appreciated, and praised, their artistry.”
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