The Duchess of Sussex was reportedly "stunned" after finding out she would not be living in Windsor Castle when she first arrived in the UK and she was always going to be "tied to second place", a royal expert has claimed.

Meghan Markle married Prince Harry back in 2018 in a lavish ceremony, with the couple later gifted Frogmore Cottage by the late Queen Elizabeth II to use as their home. In 2019, £2.4 million was spent on renovating the cottage, which is in Windsor, though this was paid back by Meghan and Prince Harry when they moved to the US.

Royal expert, Tom Quinn, claims Prince Harry and Meghan Markle grew "jealous" of Prince William and Princess Kate and the friction ultimately contributed to their decision to step down as senior working royals in 2020. The couple have since moved to California where they now reside with their two young children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.

Tom Quinn told the Mirror: "Harry has always been jealous that the accident of birth has made his brother certain of his role in life while, as spare, he was left to struggle to make his own way.

"Of course he was still a senior royal, still in the line of succession, which was magical for Meghan. But following their wedding the Duchess of Sussex quickly realised that by marrying the spare she was always going to be tied to second place."

The expert added that Meghan soon realised that it would not be possible to climb up the royal rankings.

He said: "When Meghan arrived in the UK and got over the first shock of not being allowed to live in Windsor Castle, she realised that no amount of hard work and charm would move her into pole position. Meghan and Harry were and are jealous of the status of William and Kate."

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