Meghan Markle reportedly asked if she and Prince Harry could live in Windsor Castle after their 2018 wedding, but the late Queen Elizabeth II 'firmly' declined the request, deeming it 'inappropriate'. According to reports, only the Queen and Prince Philip maintained private apartments within the castle at the time.
Royal historian Hugo Vickers told The Times: 'There are empty bedrooms and suites in the private apartments which the Sussexes may have had their eye on, or perhaps some former living quarters in the castle grounds converted into other things. But I can see how it might not be entirely appropriate to have a young family living there.'
Instead, the Queen gifted the couple Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate. In her book The New Royals, royal expert Katie Nicholl quoted Lady Elizabeth Anson: 'The cottage was a big deal. The Queen's entrance into the gardens is right next to their cottage. It is essentially her backyard, her solitude, and her privacy. She was giving that up in gifting Harry and Meghan Frogmore Cottage.'
Prince Harry later wrote in his memoir Spare that they 'loved that place' and 'couldn't wait to wake up in the morning, go for a long walk in the gardens, check in with the swans.'
