Nott Cogg - 'frat house'

[50shadesofneigh]

The father-of-two wrote: 'I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace. Nott Cott was palace adjacent - that was the best you could say for it.'
As he watched Meghan walk up the garden path to his home, Prince Harry says he was 'relieved' that she 'gave no indication of disillusionment'.
However, that changed when the duchess stepped inside the cottage - where the ceilings are 'dolls' house low'.
He added: 'Then she said something about a frat house.'
Prince Harry says he had never noticed how 'shabby' the furniture in his home was before - with the then Suits actress appearing particularly unimpressed with his beanbag chair which matched his brown sofa.
After Meghan moved in, Prince Harry recalls how the couple purchased some Ikea lights and ordered a second-hand settee from sofa.com, which they'd bought with his future wife's credit card.

Is this petulant and ungrateful spun for a laugh?

@BradfordGirl

Kate and Will had Anmer Hall once married and in Nott Cott in London. Once married, Meg and Harry also rented a very large home near Soho House. Guess who paid the rent...

And yes a bare clothes rail and plastic box looks plain for a British prince.

It does - but that's on him, he'd lived there for years! He was a multi millionaire, he could afford his own wardrobe. He just didn't bother

Money cannot buy a property in that location so she’s been handed a unique opportunity, at a time when she wasn’t even a part of the royal family.
Harry probably hadn’t been using it much before she came along, hence being a bit unloved.
Does the book mention their time and expenditure at Frogmore Cottage at all?

Well, I guess if you point a laser focus at the negatives, which Harry insists on doing for every single aspect of his royal life, then it could look 'plain'.

But if you remember that this is a historically significant property designed by Sir Christopher Wren, that it's within the grounds of a royal palace, on the doorstep of Kensington Park and in the heart of one of the most exclusive areas of London, then it's none too shabby.

Especially when you're getting it completely free and you've never owned a property in your entire life.

If I thought I'd bagged a Prince, I'd expect something grander than NottCott!

Obviously American with their large houses are going to find our houses small. Normally like Megan but think she was quite rude.

Americans*

Isn't this just another retelling of the US 5th Ave Princess vs UK Aristo trope?

From Dollar Heiresses via Nancy Mitford to Jilly Cooper there has always been a lot of mileage in the old posh-title-but-shabby-furniture-and-terrible-plumbing chestnut.

He’s not a Prince in the Regency era ffs - he’s a Prince in a time when some people begrudge the 1.86£ a year they spend on the royals. If he was living as a bachelor in a palace by himself it would be a bit of a pisstake really, wouldn't it??

I really like the fact that the royals have to leave in these less grand houses whilst they are young. I agree with PP I think meghan walked into his life and picked it apart and made herself his saviour. He was troubled and lost and she manipulated him and now here we are.

If she wasn't so impressed by the bean bag etc why didn't she just buy a really expensive sofa instead of a second hand one?

For a man in his 30s who who complained about his father cutting him off financially , when he had been given Nott Cott to live in ( which I would love ) & I think a couple of million a year from his father above his inheritances and then a choice of a KP large apartment or Frogmore Cottage - I just can't help not having much sympathy for him. Yes the younger brother but has he never thought how much priviledge he has had. It doesn't look like it.

Nottingham cottage was a stop gap. and a very very nice one too. W&K have a big apartment in KP but as heir to the throne I bet that lovely drawing room doesn't get used much apart from receiving visitors.

I would love Nottingham cottage ( 1st choice ) & then Frogmore Cottage . Not sure Anmer Hall would be my cup of tea ( but then I don't have the choice ) 😂

In a nutshell, @IcedPurple
Also, that's clearly his dressing room, or a walk in wardrobe sort of thing.

Yes - maybe she should have read more Nancy Mitford.

This is Princess Anne’s sitting room.

www.itv.com/news/2021-02-07/princess-annes-rugby-post-which-generated-more-attention-on-her-cosy-living-room

Having said that I get the impression that Charles does appreciate home comforts and that is why he doesn’t want to move to Buckingham Palace.

I know what you mean @HaroldeVwilliam. Whilst the exterior and location of Nott Cott are undeniably beautiful and enviable, the interior is bog average and not what you’d expect from the outside or if you knew who lived there.

If she'd stuck around, she probably would have.

Now that Charles is king, they'd likely be looking at a gift of either a country pile or maybe an apartment in Kensington Palace. But they flounced out.

Didn't Eugenie and Jack also live there for a while as newlyweds? I thought it was just where the young royals go for a while as a kind of starter home. But of course Harry would complain.

She is waiting till he's wrung every penny from his memoirs book and interviews and then divorce him

@HaroldeVwilliam I agree. If I married the brother of the heir I would assume we would live in a palace or at least an impressive house or apartment. It is a two bedroom and they lived there from 2017 to 2019.

I did read that Charles was going to give them Clarence House.

They lived at Ivy Cottage

I read that too but I'm not sure. Isn't it a bit grand for a 'spare'? But then I guess if it's going empty it might be put to use.

In any case, they would surely have been given a much grander home had they stuck around.

Of course she was disappointed, she expected this…

I don't see it as a winge esp in this context.

The actual price of that location is of course expensive.

I'm more amazed that anyone thinks that is what they would actually expect going back to the then 3rd ? 4rh In line to the thrones house??

A rail and plastic box? Very very typical of young person/man though.

I'm quite pleased they have to start off " humbly" in that context.

I suspect they bought a sofa.com branded sofa second hand from a third party, and the confusion has arisen due to some mangled editing.