Meghan Markle's 'inappropriate' living request 'firmly denied' by late Queen

Meghan Markle may have only been a working royal for a short amount of time, but she did still live quite the royal lifestyle. Although there was less than two years between the duchess marrying Prince Harry in 2018, and then the couple leaving royal duty behind in 2020, Meghan did still get to live in two royal homes.

Before her 2018 wedding, Meghan, 44, lived with Prince Harry in his humble Nottingham Cottage home on the Kensington Palace estate. It was here that Harry, 40, proposed to his wife of now seven years. A few months after their wedding, the couple then relocated to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor royal estate, having been gifted the property by Queen Elizabeth II.

However, while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ended up feeling very fond of their Windsor home, it is believed that they had originally set their sights on another royal abode.

As widely reported in the past, Meghan was said to have wanted to live at Windsor Castle, with the Sussexes asking if "living quarters could be made available after their marriage", The Times wrote.

The late Queen Elizabeth II apparently "firmly" rejected this possibility, as she found the request "inappropriate".

At the time, only the Queen and Prince Philip had private apartments within the castle.

Although Harry and Meghan were not allowed to live in the actual castle, they seemed happy to call Frogmore Cottage home.

In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry spoke fondly of the home. He wrote: "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."

Since quitting royal duty in 2020, Harry and Meghan have lived on a sprawling Montecito estate in America which is believed to be bigger than their previous royal residences.