Moving on—literally. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry bought a house in Santa Barbara and secretly moved into it six weeks ago. Page Six reported on Tuesday, August 11, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their new home with their 1-year-old son, Archie Mountbatten Windsor, in early July. The newspaper also reports that Meghan and Harry live in an “upscale community” in Santa Barbara, which also includes houses owned by their friends, Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey (who attended their wedding in May 2018.)
“Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July,” a source told Page Six. “They are not houseguests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves. This is where they want to continue their lives after leaving the U.K. This is the first home either of them has ever owned. It has been a very special time for them as a couple and as a family—to have complete privacy for six weeks since they moved in. They intend to put down their roots in this house and the quiet community, which has considerable privacy. This is where they want to bring Archie up, where they hope he can have as normal a life as possible.”
The insider continued, “Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home. It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the U.S. to be close to Meghan’s mom [who lives in L.A.]”
Though it was rumored that Meghan and Harry would find their forever home in Los Angeles, where they lived at Tyler Perry’s $18 million, 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills mansion over the past few months, the source notes that the couple’s Santa Barbara home is more Harry’s style. While living at Perry’s home, Meghan, Harry, Archie and Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, were also photographed by drones that flew over the property. The couple have since filed a lawsuit against several paparazzi agencies for the invasion of privacy.
“Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn’t the reason they left Los Angeles. They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara,” the source said. “While it was a nice favor to them at a very difficult time, Tyler Perry’s house with 18 bedrooms isn’t Harry’s style. Yes, he grew up in royalty and the halls of Buckingham Palace, but he prefers more intimate homes with character.”
Meghan and Harry moved to Los Angeles after they relocated to Canada in January. Their move across the pond came after they announced their decision to step back as senior members of the British royal family that same month. Before their move to North America, Meghan and Harry lived in London at Frogmore Cottage, a historic home in Windsor. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also confirmed that Meghan and Harry have found a new home in Santa Barbara.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year,” the spokesperson said. “They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as for them as a family.”
As for why they chose Santa Barbara, Page Six’s source said that the couple wanted Archie to grow up in community around other families and kids his age. “They have thought about this carefully and researched it well,” the source said. “This is the place where they plan to be happy, make good friends and bring up Archie, giving him the chance to play with other children his age.”