New digs. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Montecito, Santa Barbara, house includes 16 bathrooms, a “tea room” and other posh details. Variety reported on Wednesday, August 12, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have purchased a $14.65 million estate in Montecito, a seaside county in Santa Barbara that’s also the home of mansions owned by celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
According to Variety, Meghan and Harry’s names don’t appear on the deeds for the property, however, records show that that the estate was sold in mid-June to a mysterious trust with a vague name. Variety determined that the house was Meghan and Harry’s because the trust shares a mailing address with the offices of the Suits alum’s longtime business manager.
As for what the house entails, public records reveal that the Meghan and Harry will pay a $9.5 million mortgage for the 7.4 acre home, which is on a private, gated street in Montecito. Variety also reports that Meghan and Harry scored a discount for the house, which was bought by Russian businessman Sergey Grishin in 2009 for $25.3 million. Grishin had been selling the house for a decade before accepting the $10 million loss that Meghan and Harry purchased it for.
Now onto the details: Built in 2003, the Mediterranean-style main house includes beige and off-white decor. Inside, there’s a library, a gym, separate wet and dry saunas, an elevator, an arcade, a game room and a home theater. The estate also has a guest house, with two bedrooms and bathrooms. In total, the whole estate is 19,000 square feet and has nine bedrooms and 16 (!!!) bathrooms. Previous listings for the property also report that the estate has a “tea house,” a “children’s cottage” and rose gardens. Variety also reports that there are century-old olive trees, tall Italian cypress trees, a full-sized tennis court, a lap-lane swimming pool and a built-in children’s play set on the property. (See photos of Meghan and Harry’s Santa Barbara house here.)
Meghan and Harry secretly moved to Santa Barbara with their 1-year-old son, Archie Mountbatten Windsor, in July after spending several months in Los Angeles while living at director Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills mansion. The couple moved to Los Angeles after a few months in Canada, where Meghan used to live while filming her USA show Suits. Meghan and Harry made the cross-world move to North America in January after announcing their decision to take a step back as senior members of the British royal family.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” the couple wrote in a statement on their Instagram at the time.
They continued, “It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”