According to royal author Tom Quinn, the beef between Meghan Markle and Kate and Prince William dates back to when she and Harry lived in Nottingham Cottage at Kensington Palace.
Quinn appeared on Channel 5’s documentary, Meghan & Harry: Two Troubled Years (via Express).
The author claimed the Duchess of Sussex’s grievance against Kate and William went back to the brief period after their wedding when she and Harry lived in Nottingham Cottage.
Quinn is the author of Kensington Palace: An Intimate Memoir from Queen Mary to Meghan Markle.
The Sussexes’ home was small
Nottingham Cottage is a small home compared with the large, four-story Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace where Kate and William live, Quinn noted.
According to Quinn, Meghan living in a home that was “quite small” in comparison with the Cambridges’ home “led to friction.”
“Nottingham Cottage is in the grounds of Kensington Palace, and it’s quite small,” Quinn said. “It’s tiny compared to the enormous double apartment that Kate and William have.
“It was being 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.
“In Meghan’s world, if you’re determined enough, you can get to the top. But Meghan can’t; she can’t get to the top whatever she does.”
Meghan and Harry moved out of Nottingham Cottage in 2019
Meghan and Harry eventually moved out of Nottingham Cottage in 2019. Media reports suggested the Sussexes were moving into a large 21-bedroom apartment next to the Cambridges.
It turned out they were being relocated to Frogmore Cottage on Home Park, Windsor.
Frogmore Cottage was renovated at the cost of £2.4million ($3.32 million) before the Sussexes moved in. Meghan gave birth to their first child, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, in May 2019 while they lived in Frogmore.
Meghan and Kate clashed before her wedding to Prince Harry
Although Quinn claimed Meghan living in Nottingham Cottage “led to friction,” media sources reported that Meghan and Kate clashed before her wedding to Prince Harry.
Monsters & Critics reported that the ladies clashed in the months before Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding over outfits for Princess Charlotte and other bridesmaids.
Some media outlets claimed they clashed because Kate wanted Charlotte and the other bridesmaids to wear tights, but Markle disagreed.
However, a Kensington Palace source reportedly told New Idea Magazine that the clash wasn’t over the bridesmaids’ tights. “It was actually about the hemlines,” the source reportedly said.
During the Oprah interview, Meghan also denied media stories that she made Kate cry when they clashed. She insisted that it was Kate who made her cry.
Harry felt offended about William’s comments about Markle
Monster & Critics also reported that Harry felt offended when William advised him not to rush his relationship with Markle.
According to Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand in their book Finding Freedom, William advised his younger brother to take his time to get to know Markle before marrying her.
“Don’t feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl,” William reportedly said.
According to the authors, Harry felt offended by William referring to Markle as “this girl.”