Prince Harry's close association with Nottingham has been well publicised over the years , with the Duke of Sussex previously visiting the city a number of times for his charity work. However, his affection for all things Nottingham does not extent to the name of his former home and as Netflix viewers found out during the airing of the latest episodes of the Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.
The couple discussed their time living in Nottingham cottage in the latest episodes of the much-publicised Netflix show. But after criticising the property, Royal fans and a historian have hit back, debunking certain claims made in the show. Nicknamed "Nott Cott", the house was the first home of Prince William and Kate Middleton with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge making it their first marital home, the Express reports.
Later, Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, lived in Nottingham Cottage before they got married then made it their first marital home too. This had originally been Harry's bachelor pad in the palace grounds when he left the army.
A two-bedroom house it is said to be one of the smaller properties within Kensington Palace and is just a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace.
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Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, whose work included the design of St Paul's Cathedral, the house has been reported to have two reception rooms, a kitchen bathroom and a garden.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recalled the time they spent in their first home together during the fourth episode of their Netflix series.
Harry and Meghan looked back on their first home during the fourth episode of their Netflix series, describing it as “a chapter in our lives where I don't think anyone could believe what it was actually like behind the scenes”.
Harry said: “As far as people were concerned, we were living in a Palace. And we were… in a cottage.”
Together, with Meghan, he added: “We were living on Palace grounds.” The Duchess continued: “Kensington Palace sounds very regal. Of course it does. It says "palace" in the name, but Nottingham Cottage was so small.”
“The whole thing's on a slight lean,” Harry added. “Really low ceilings, I don't know who was there before. They must have been short.”
Meghan recalled: “He would hit his head constantly in that place because he's so tall.”
While the Duke claimed he did not know “who was there before”, royal watchers have been quick to point out that Nottingham Cottage had particularly well-known tenants before the Sussexes moved in.
Marlene Koenig, a historian who has spent decades researching European royalty, tweeted: “Nott[ingham] Cottage was designed by sir Christopher Wren. Harry says he doesn’t know who lived in it before him. The previous tenants were his brother and sister-in-law & baby George. His aunt Jane & uncle Robert live[d] there, as well as the late Duke & Duchess of Gloucester.”
Fans also questioned Harry’s remark. One tweeted: “Imagine complaining that Nottingham cottage is small and isn’t fit for you when Prince William who is the highest member of the Royal Family lives there with his wife and Prince George for quite a lot of time.”
Another posted: “Harry claims he doesn’t know who lived at Nottingham Cottage before him but they 'must have been short' because the ceilings are so low. Erm, wasn’t that where Will and Kate lived?! Ah yes, super short W&C.”
And a third added: “Remember when William and Catherine lived at Nottingham Cottage with Prince George before the other people? I don't remember them complaining about how small it was....”
Long before the Sussexes took up residence at the home, it housed then-Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret’s governess, Marion Crawford, who lived at the grace-and-favour property upon her retirement in 1948.
However, when the publication of her book The Little Princesses in 1950 saw the Royal Family turn against her, she vacated the property.
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