Meghan Markle was ‘taken aback’ after visiting Prince William and Kate Middleton’s apartment, felt Harry ‘deserved more’

The rift between Prince Harry and his older brother may have its roots in a material disparity that appears to have overshadowed much of their adult lives. A recently released royal biography suggests that Meghan Markle was ‘piqued’ by their markedly different living conditions after she visited the apartment of Prince William and Kate Middleton for the first time. Prince Harry had previously admitted to feeling ‘embarrassed’ about bringing his partner home to Nottingham Cottage.

“It is understood that when Meghan and Harry had gone round to have drinks at William and Catherine’s apartment, while they were still living at Nottingham Cottage opposite, Meghan had been ‘taken aback’ at the disparity between the brothers,” The Independent quoted Rob Jobson as saying in his new biography of the Princess of Wales.

“‘I am not saying Meghan was jealous, but she was really surprised how lavishly Harry’s brother was living compared to where they were living. It was perhaps the beginning of all the tensions between the two couples,’ a close source reportedly said.

Prince Harry has had been at odds with his family — particularly his brother William and their father — since he and Markle left the UK. Tensions between the two brothers were strained further with the release of a Netflix documentary in 2022 and the details outlined in his memoir Spare last year.

The younger son of King Charles III has also bucked convention to challenge the government in court and sue the tabloid press — a development that Prince Harry believes partly caused his rift with the royal family.

The US-based royal won a major victory in December after a judge found phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers was “widespread and habitual.” He has two similar cases remaining against the publishers of The Sun and Daily Mail.

(With inputs from agencies)