😱 Harry Called Nottingham Cottage “Too Small,” But What He Revealed About William And Kate’s Lavish Kensington Apartment In Spare Has Royal Fans Stunned!
Prince William and Kate’s Stunning Kensington Palace Apartment vs Harry’s “Too Small” Nottingham Cottage – The Shocking Truth from Spare!
Prince Harry’s explosive new memoir Spare has dropped fresh bombshells that have royal fans buzzing non-stop, and one of the biggest revelations involves the homes that once housed his older brother. In the leaked book, the Duke of Sussex openly admits he was jealous of Prince William and Kate’s luxurious Kensington Palace residence – complete with priceless artworks, lavish decor, and space for the entire family – while he and Meghan had to make do with a cramped “Notts Cott” that felt more like a tight two-bedroom than a proper royal pad. This isn’t just old gossip from 2017 or 2018; it’s the raw, unfiltered truth from the book that has everyone comparing the two neighboring properties on the grounds of Kensington Palace and wondering how Harry could ever have felt “embarrassed” around his brother’s setup.
For years, royal watchers have pieced together fragments of life inside those iconic residences, but Spare paints a much clearer picture of the contrast. Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A – the one William and Kate moved into in 2017 after a £1 million makeover – is a 20-room masterpiece spanning four floors with five reception rooms, each featuring elegant fireplaces, three bedrooms, dressing rooms, and even nurseries for George, Charlotte, and Louis. The apartment overlooks a private walled garden that feels worlds away from the public paths, giving the family complete privacy while still being steps from the palace’s grand State Apartments. Harry, in his book, describes the opulence he saw during visits: walnut bookshelves filled with valuable pieces, stunning artworks hanging on the walls, and a level of sophistication that left him stunned and “embarrassed” after spending time in what he saw as his own more modest former home.
To fully understand the comparison, you have to step back and imagine the two properties side by side on that historic estate. Nottingham Cottage – affectionately nicknamed “Notts Cott” by fans and the couple themselves – was Harry and Meghan’s first shared home when they moved from Toronto to London in 2017. It’s the smallest royal residence on the 17th-century grounds, sitting right next to the main palace buildings where Harry grew up. The cottage was cozy at best: a living room with cream sofas and a gallery wall, a kitchen with black-and-white diamond-patterned tiles and white units (complete with a magnet on the dishwasher saying “Nott Cott”), and a tiny back garden where Harry once hung a hammock. Meghan and Harry loved the space at first – it was where the prince proposed one quiet evening over roast chicken, where Meghan danced in the doorway, and where the couple did DIY projects like varnishing floors and gardening with a hoe. But as time went on, the reality hit hard. In their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the couple openly called the cottage “too small,” with low ceilings, a slight lean, and constant head-bumps for the tall Prince. They complained that the public assumed they lived in a grand palace, but in truth they were squeezed into a modest two-bed on palace grounds, forced to make do with an IKEA lamp and a discounted sofa bought using Meghan’s credit card.
Compare that to Apartment 1A. The apartment, which William and Kate moved into after a major refurbishment in 2013, is the real deal for the future King and Queen. With 20 rooms, it includes five reception rooms decked out with fireplaces, three bedrooms, multiple dressing rooms, and nurseries. There are even three kitchens and staff quarters tucked away. The space overlooks a large private walled garden that feels like its own private oasis, far from the public areas open to tourists. The couple hosted high-profile guests like Michelle and Barack Obama here in 2016, sitting in the drawing room with armchairs, ottomans, and ornate gold-framed artwork on the walls. William’s home office featured an antique desk lamp and a chestnut-wood chest of drawers, while Kate shared photos of her Penguin Clothbound Classics collection and plush cream sofas with floral cushions during mental health conversations. It’s the kind of residence that screams royal elegance – and Harry’s book highlights how the family’s walnut bookshelves and valuable art collection stood out even in candid photos.
The leaked memoir Spare has reignited everything because it doesn’t just mention the homes – it ties the jealousy directly to family tensions. Harry claims he was “jealous” of the Waleses’ setup when he and Meghan were still in Notts Cott, especially after spending time with them and feeling out of place in what he saw as a more lavish environment. He even describes the cottage as the scene of an alleged row with William about his wife, where the Prince allegedly attacked him in the kitchen. But the bigger reveal is how the contrast between the two properties – one a tight, working-class-feeling pad that the couple laughed about in their docuseries, the other a sprawling 20-room haven with private gardens and top-tier decor – shaped Harry’s feelings. Royal biographer Ingrid Seward put it perfectly: Kensington Palace felt like “a glorious prison for kids” because the family needed space to play football without everyone watching from behind the gates. That’s why William and Kate eventually left the apartment for the more private and spacious grounds at Windsor.
Fans have been sharing side-by-side comparisons online ever since the book leaked, with pictures of the cottage’s tiny garden and kitchen next to aerial shots of Kensington Palace’s sprawling State Apartments. One viral post showed the “Nott Cott” magnet on the dishwasher next to a formal portrait of William and Kate in their drawing room, captioning it “From IKEA lamp to priceless art – the royal contrast that broke the internet.” Others are pointing out how the cottage’s cosy living room with Union Jack placemats and photos feels so down-to-earth compared to the palace’s grand reception rooms. The Netflix clips from Harry & Meghan only add fuel: Meghan dancing in the doorway of the cottage, Harry varnishing the floor, the couple doing DIY in the tiny backyard – all moments that feel intimate and real, yet pale in comparison to the polished, spacious life William and Kate enjoyed right next door.
The book’s timing couldn’t be more dramatic. Spare dropped right before its UK release, and Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace have declined to comment on the claims. But the details are already sparking endless discussions in royal circles. Royal experts are noting how the jealousy Harry expressed in Spare echoes the pressures of his own royal upbringing – the constant comparison to his older brother’s success. William and Kate, who welcomed their three children into Apartment 1A, used the space to create a warm, traditional home: shared family moments in the lounges, work-from-home offices that doubled as creative spaces, and a sense of normalcy amid the palace gates. The walled garden they overlooked wasn’t just pretty – it was a symbol of the privacy they fought for, giving the kids room to grow without the constant scrutiny that once surrounded the younger royals.
Harry’s description of Notts Cott as “really small on a slight lean with low ceilings” has been quoted everywhere, along with Meghan’s line that “Kensington Palace sounds very regal… But Nottingham Cottage was so small.” That confession from the docuseries has now been amplified in Spare, making fans wonder why Harry chose to share these intimate details about the home that was supposed to be his start in royal life. The cottage was where he proposed, where the couple bonded over simple things like cooking dinner and gardening, and where they first experienced the full weight of public scrutiny. Yet next door, the Waleses had the room to breathe – five reception rooms, private gardens, and the kind of luxury that included art collections and staff support. The jealousy Harry admits in Spare feels raw because it wasn’t just about money or furniture; it was about the space to raise a family without feeling cramped or embarrassed.
The story of Kensington Palace and Nottingham Cottage has always been one of contrasts within the same estate. The palace grounds, home to British royalty for centuries, blend history and modern royal life in the most visible way. Apartment 1A sat proudly as the hub for the Cambridge family until they moved to Windsor in 2022 for more space to raise George, Charlotte, and Louis. The cottage, meanwhile, became the backdrop for Harry and Meghan’s early years – a place of DIY projects, family photos, and quiet evenings that Netflix immortalized. Now, with the leaked memoir adding fresh layers, the comparison has gone viral. Social media is filled with memes and threads comparing the two: the “palace sounds regal but it was tiny” line versus the sleek, modern offices and grand art displays of 1A.
Fans are loving the drama because it humanizes the royals in a new way. William and Kate didn’t have a mansion in the classic sense, but Apartment 1A offered the stability and privacy their family needed while still being connected to the palace’s historic heart. Harry’s admissions in Spare – the envy over the valuable artworks and lavish decor – have turned a simple property comparison into a deeper conversation about sibling relationships, pressures, and the realities of royal life. Royal insiders are already saying the book’s revelations might influence how future generations view the family’s homes, with Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A now seen not just as a residence but as a symbol of success and space that Harry once felt he lacked.
The contrast isn’t just visual – it’s emotional. Notts Cott was where Harry and Meghan started their marriage, a modest but loving first home filled with love and DIY charm. Apartment 1A was where William and Kate built their family, a grander setting with room for everything from children’s bedrooms with IKEA touches (yes, even they had some affordable furniture in the nurseries) to elegant lounges perfect for hosting world leaders. The book highlights how Harry saw the Waleses’ setup as the gold standard, leaving him feeling out of place despite the cottage’s special memories. That jealousy, he writes, was part of the tension that later played out in the alleged kitchen incident, but the property contrast itself became a constant reminder of what he was missing.
As the royal family continues to evolve – with Harry and Meghan now based in California and William and Kate thriving at Windsor – these old homes are still being talked about in every royal news circle. The leaked Spare has given fans an unfiltered look behind the curtains, showing how two neighboring residences on the same grounds could feel worlds apart: one a tight, intimate cottage that taught Harry and Meghan resilience, the other a spacious palace apartment that provided the freedom William and Kate needed to raise their children in peace. The details from Spare – from the IKEA lamp to the priceless art – have fans debating whether the jealousy was fair, whether the cottage was truly “too small,” and how much the contrast still affects the brothers today.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward nailed it when she described Kensington Palace as needing more space for the kids to play without being watched. That’s why Apartment 1A became the heart of the Cambridge family’s life until they sought greener pastures at Windsor. The cottage, meanwhile, became a chapter of DIY joy and early royal struggles for Harry and Meghan. The book’s revelations have turned a simple home comparison into a full-blown royal scandal, with social media exploding with side-by-side photos and emotional threads. People are sharing the Netflix clips of the cottage’s small kitchen next to images of the palace’s grand drawing room, captioning everything with the line “From ‘Nott Cott’ magnet to priceless art – the jealousy that sparked Spare.”
This isn’t just about furniture or square footage. It’s about the lifestyle pressures of being royal. Harry grew up next door and felt the weight of being the “younger” brother in a palace that offered his older sibling far more space and luxury. William and Kate used their apartment to create a warm, traditional home where the family could thrive – complete with work offices, family lounges, and private gardens. Spare has laid it all out in one explosive memoir, and fans are still processing the revelations days after the leak.
The story of Kensington Palace and Nottingham Cottage continues to captivate because it shows the human side of the monarchy. Two couples, two homes, two different journeys – all within shouting distance. Harry’s admissions in Spare have reopened wounds and sparked fresh discussions about envy, family dynamics, and the realities behind the palace walls. Whether you’re team William and Kate or still rooting for Harry and Meghan, the contrast between the “Too Small” cottage and the grand Apartment 1A has everyone talking. The book doesn’t just compare homes; it compares lives, and that’s why the royal community – and the wider world – can’t stop talking about it.
As the dust settles from the Spare leak, one thing is clear: the homes of Prince William, Kate, Prince Harry, and Meghan have never been just buildings. They were stage sets for entire chapters of royal history, filled with love, tension, DIY projects, priceless art, and the constant tug of public life. The jealousy Harry admits in Spare over his brother’s Kensington Palace apartment has turned a simple comparison into a viral sensation, reminding everyone that even in the most opulent surroundings, the heart can feel small.
And that, friends, is the real story behind the walls of Kensington Palace.