Royal Historian Says Meghan Markle Missed Out on Pre-Marriage Living Arrangement Kate Middleton Enjoyed

Meghan Markle reportedly missed out on an arrangement that helped Kate Middleton prepare for royal life, according to a royal historian who says the Princess of Wales had the chance to live with Prince William before their wedding in a way the Duchess of Sussex never experienced with Prince Harry.

The comparison comes from royal historian Marlene Koenig, who addressed the topic in comments to The Mirror that have since circulated widely, offering her perspective on how differently the two royal marriages were approached in their early stages.

A Different Path Into Royal Life

According to Koenig, Meghan's transition into royal life came without some of the preparation other family members received. Koenig told the outlet that "Meghan was not comfortable with all the rules," adding that "William was right to advise Harry to take his time and not rush into marriage."

Koenig framed her assessment within the broader context of the royal family's own history with earlier marriages that ended in divorce. She pointed to what she described as lessons drawn from the marital struggles of King Charles and Princess Diana, as well as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, arguing that in both of those cases, the couples never had the chance to build a real courtship or get to know each other well before marrying.

Other Royal Couples Who Lived Together First

Central to Koenig's argument is a contrast with royal couples who did have the opportunity to live together before their weddings. She noted that Prince Edward and Sophie, along with Prince William and Kate Middleton, both lived together before marrying, a period she said allowed the women involved to get a clearer sense of what royal life would actually be like.

Koenig went on to argue that Meghan did not have that same window of time. She explained that Meghan "was not afforded that time," suggesting that additional years together before marriage might have changed things. "And perhaps if they lived together for a few years," Koenig said, "Meghan would have had more time to observe."

A Whirlwind Courtship Compared to a Decade-Long Relationship

The comparison Koenig draws stands in contrast to the far longer timeline Prince William and Kate Middleton followed before their own wedding. William and Kate met as university classmates and were in a relationship for nearly a decade before marrying in 2011, a courtship that unfolded gradually and included an extended period of cohabitation before the couple's engagement became public.

Harry and Meghan's relationship followed a markedly faster timeline by comparison. The two met on a blind date in July 2016, announced their engagement in November 2017, and married the following May, a courtship of less than two years from their first meeting to their wedding day.

William's Reported Advice to Slow Down

Koenig's comments also touch on longstanding reports that Prince William urged his brother to be more cautious before proposing to Meghan. According to those earlier reports, William asked Harry to slow down and approach the relationship one step at a time, given the pressures that come with marrying into the royal family and the fact that both Kate and Meghan came from non-royal backgrounds.

Harry reportedly did not follow that advice at the time, proceeding with the marriage in 2018. Two years later, in 2020, Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior working royals and relocated to the United States, eventually settling in Montecito, California, where they continue to raise their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Timing Tied to a Recent Family Reunion

The renewed attention to Koenig's comments comes shortly after a notable family gathering involving the Sussexes and senior royals. The commentary followed a reported reunion between Meghan, Harry, their children, and King Charles and Queen Camilla, an event that has kept the family's internal dynamics in the spotlight in recent days.

A Broader Pattern of Royal Commentary

Koenig's remarks fit into a long-running pattern of public commentary from royal historians and experts weighing in on how Meghan's integration into the royal family differed from that of other spouses who married into the monarchy. Royal watchers have frequently drawn comparisons between Meghan's experience and that of Kate Middleton, given the two duchesses' overlapping public roles as sisters-in-law within the family, as well as the very different pace and public scrutiny that each of their respective courtships and marriages attracted.

Not the First Time Their Marriages Have Been Compared

This is far from the first instance of royal commentators contrasting how Kate and Meghan each approached marrying into the family. Other observers have previously noted that Kate and Meghan navigated the transition into royal life in markedly different ways, with some attributing Kate's smoother adjustment in part to the length of her relationship with William before their wedding, and Meghan's more difficult adjustment in part to the compressed nature of her courtship with Harry.

With Harry and Meghan continuing to build their lives in California while maintaining periodic contact with the royal family, including the recently reported reunion with King Charles and Queen Camilla, commentary from royal historians like Koenig is likely to remain a recurring feature of coverage surrounding the family. Whether such retrospective analysis influences the Sussexes' future relationship with the monarchy remains to be seen, though it continues to shape public discussion of how the couple's early courtship compared with that of other senior royals.