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Nottingham Cottage is a small residence on the grounds of Kensington Palace in London—not a palace apartment. Prince Harry later recalled feeling “embarrassed” to welcome Meghan Markle there because “Nott Cott was no palace.” The remark comes from his memoir, Spare, and reflects his personal reaction to the home.
Where is Nottingham Cottage?
Nottingham Cottage sits within the grounds of Kensington Palace, the royal estate in London. That setting can make “living at Kensington Palace” sound more grand than the accommodation itself: the cottage was a separate dwelling on the estate, not a palace apartment. Historic Royal Palaces describes Kensington Palace as the Sussexes’ first marital home, but its history page does not provide a detailed Nottingham Cottage floor plan. Historic Royal Palaces: The story of Kensington Palace.
Why did Harry say he was embarrassed?
In Spare, Harry wrote: “I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace.” The Independent quoted the passage in its report about the couple’s homes. The wording describes Harry’s own feelings about introducing Meghan to his home; it is not an independent assessment of the cottage’s condition or value. The Independent: Meghan Markle felt Prince Harry ‘deserved more materially’ after seeing William and Kate’s apartment.
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What was the cottage like inside?
In their Netflix documentary, the couple described a compact home. The Independent reported Harry’s account of a slight lean and low ceilings, and quoted Meghan saying, “But Nottingham Cottage was so small!” Those are the couple’s recollections, not measurements or a structural inspection. The Independent: Nottingham Cottage in Kensington Palace: Harry and Meghan complain their grace-and-favour home was ‘so small’.
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The Evening Standard reports two bedrooms, two reception rooms, one bathroom and a small garden. The Independent also reports two bedrooms and one bathroom. These are published descriptions, not an official floor plan, so the room count should be understood as reported rather than independently verified. Evening Standard: What is Nottingham Cottage? Harry and Meghan discuss ‘small’ cottage in Netflix documentary.
How did it compare with a palace apartment?
The contrast is between a cottage on palace grounds and larger royal accommodation—not between two comparable homes documented by an official property survey. The Independent reported that Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A had 20 rooms in a 2024 article. That figure is secondary reporting, and the sources do not establish a like-for-like comparison of floor area, layout or condition. The Independent’s 2024 report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who lived there, and when did the Sussexes move?
Nottingham Cottage was associated with several members of the royal family. The Evening Standard reports that William and Catherine lived there briefly before Harry, and that it was the setting for Harry’s courtship with Meghan in the UK. The same article gives 2012 as the year Harry moved in; because the available accounts do not establish a definitive occupancy chronology, that date should be treated as reported rather than conclusive.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe Sussexes later moved to Frogmore Cottage. Their connection to Nottingham Cottage is historical; the sources cited here do not establish who lives there now.
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