1. Meghan & Prince Harry’s LA Home
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s LA home sits on 5.4 acres of land. The stunning grounds are surrounded by immaculately clipped hedges and a stone-pillared entrance gate with a long driveway, offering the perfect amount of well-needed privacy for the Duke and Duchess.
2. Nestled in the star-studded hills of Montecito
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Their remarkable property is nestled within the splendid hills of Montecito which is around a two-hour drive from downtown LA. The multimillion-dollar neighborhood is popular with some of the biggest stars including Ellen DeGeneres, Cameron Diaz, Oprah Winfrey, Ariana Grande, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges.
3. It’s a modern chateau-style home
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The Duke and Duchess bought the 14,500-square-foot Italian-inspired villa back in June 2020 for $14.65 million. The main house was built in 2003 and, according to a US property website, has 16 bathrooms, 9 bedrooms, a library, an office, a dry and wet sauna, a spa, a gym, a games room, a theater, an arcade, a wine cellar, and a five-car garage.
4. And you can rent it for $700 an hour!
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It has also been revealed that you can even rent Meghan and Prince Harry’s home for only about $700 an hour! The rental website Gigster has listed the ‘Italian-Inspired Villa’ as the “perfect backdrop” for music videos and photoshoots that can be rented for a minimum of 10 hours. No smoking, drinking, or ‘adult’ filming, though!
5. They paid a lot less than the previous owner!
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According to some sources, the last time the property sold was way back in 2009. And it sold for over $25 million – over $10 million more than what the ex-royals paid for it in 2020 with the help of Harry’s father, the now King Charles. In fact, the Sussexes even paid nearly $2.5 million less than the asking price of $16.975 million! And even that was reduced from $34.5 million when it failed to sell in 2015!
6. A long labor of love
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The stunning Italian-inspired mansion was completed in 2003 and, according to sources, took a whopping five years to build. And no wonder; the house not only includes nine bedrooms, but it also has sixteen bathrooms, and probably more recreational rooms than a five-star hotel!
7. Why go to the cinema when you have one right at home?!
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The regal home cinema boasts stunning wooden paneling and an enormous television, with comfortable cream cinema sofas complete with cup and popcorn holders facing the screen. It is the perfect place for the ex-royals to catch the latest flicks and entertain themselves as a family.
8. A reminder of ‘The Tig’
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The property, officially known as ‘The Chateau of Riven Rock’, also houses a secret cellar, as revealed on the rental platform Gigster. The stone cellar is used to store vino and is a reminder to Meghan of her past life when she ran a lifestyle blog names The Tig, named after her favorite tipple, Tignanello wine from Italy. And to us, it looks like the perfect place to host the after-party!
9. There are 9 plush bedrooms!
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The chateau-style mansion has nine bedrooms altogether including one each for the Sussex’s two children, Archie Harrison and Lillibet Diana. And when they rent it out, according to Giggster, the house boasts accommodation for up to 15 people, who might be the cast and crew for photoshoots and music videos.
10. & one fit for a princess!
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter, Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana, who they welcomed to the world in June 2021 also has a regal bedroom fit for a princess! Her bedroom is complete with a pink palace bed, soft toys, a painting of a magical tree climbing the wall, and a beautiful view from her balcony.
11. Raising their family stateside
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The Sussexes settled in the US after they stepped back from their royal duties in the UK in February 2021 and, at the time, said that they would never return. In fact, they have made California their home and continue to raise their children, Archie and Lilibet, stateside.
12. Unveiling their spaces
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During lockdown, the Sussexs worked from home just like everyone else and appeared to the public virtually. Each time they appeared, they unveiled another unseen area of their impressive home, which they bought when Meghan was still pregnant with their second child, Lilibet.
13. Evidence of family life
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And in these virtual appearances, there was clear evidence of family life inside their plush living room containing prints (apparently gifted by Oprah), and their kitchen and living space complete with rustic brick and large windows providing the perfect views of the stunning greenery outside.
14. Neutral taste
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Lots of the rooms within the Italian-inspired mansion follow a similar scheme with neutral colors and dark wooden beams and paneling. And in an interview, Harry and Meghan revealed that they completely fell in love with the place as soon as they saw it because of the “feel of the place”.
15. Entertainment all around
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With a home cinema, a gym with a dancing pole, and even a games room with an arcade, the family won’t ever be stuck for any entertainment on a rainy day (you get those in Montecito, right?). In fact, the rustic games room has a pool table, pinball machine, and even a vintage-style jukebox!
16. A luxurious home office
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Meghan gave us a sneak peek into her home office which is decorated in a very neutral and classy style, conforming to Meghan’s own tastes. She has adorned her space with aspects of her personality including a quartz crystal, a tea tray, photographs of her family, and, of course, a plush dog bed for her beloved beagle, Guy.
17. #WFH
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Harry also gave us a glimpse into the home office whilst filming a trailer for his 2021 series ‘The Me You Can’t See”. In the shot, which Meghan briefly entered here, you can see the white paneled walls and a teaser of the enormous stone fireplace in the background.
18. There’s more outside!
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Outside, the five-acre estate boasts huge green sweeping lawns, beautiful rose gardens, aromatic lavender bushes, Italian cypress trees, and stunning century-old olive trees. There is also a pool, tennis courts, a chicken coop, a playground for the children, a tea house, a summerhouse, a children’s cottage, and incredibly beautiful scenery.
19. A convenient location
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According to sources, Harry and Meghan’s fairytale Santa Barbara estate is only a six-minute drive from Oprah’s Promised Land Estate. Their home is also only a two-hour drive from downtown Los Angeles, which is where Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, lives.
20. The perfect ‘getaway’ for busy ex-royals
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And if there wasn’t enough space inside for the Sussexs to live and raise their children, they also have a stunning summerhouse on the grounds of their magnificent estate. It acts as the perfect getaway at home for the busy royals who are constantly hard at work promoting causes that are important to them.
21. Like something from a fairytale
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The luxurious mansion really does look like something out of a fairytale with its extraordinary climbing ivy and immaculate gardens. In fact, in an interview, the Duchess revealed that it was the garden that sold them the property. She said it was the first thing that they saw and they fell in love with it.
22. Keeping the children amused
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On top of all of this, the garden also includes an amazing children’s adventure playground which we’re sure the children spend a lot of their time. And the whole garden seems to provide a lot of fun and happiness in the family’s lives, as revealed in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries where many of their happiest moments were filmed there, including an extravagant Easter egg hunt.
23. Privacy perfection
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Like many of the mansions in the multimillion-dollar neighborhood, Meghan and Prince Harry’s house sits within high and immaculately trimmed hedges, a tall gate surrounded by stone pillars, and a really long driveway up to the house. This provides the privacy that the Sussexes and other A-Listers need.
24. Archie’s ‘Chick-inn’
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During their interview with Oprah, which was filmed near both of their homes, the Sussexes revealed another garden feature that they dedicated to their son, Archie. And this feature is a chicken coop, named ‘Archie’s Chick-inn’. Meghan said that the best thing about this house is that the family can go ‘back to basics’ and live more ‘authentically’.
25. A-list neighborhood
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Montecito is located in Santa Barbara County in California and is said to have some of the country’s most stunning stretches of coastline. So it’s no wonder many A-Listers like Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe, and Drew Barrymore have chosen to call this beautiful corner of the world home.
26. A stone’s throw away from the stunning shore
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The Sussex’s regal estate is also just a stone’s throw away from the stunning coastline of Montecito. Along this stretch of coastline, there are the calm waters of Miramar Beach, the sparkling colors of Butterfly Beach, as well as the well-known and frequented surf break at Hammond’s Point.
27. The real Montecito
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Strolling around Montecito on a sunny day will probably have outsiders feeling incredibly starstruck by the Hollywood residents, but to the locals, it’s just another day. In fact, in an interview, one boutique owner said that she had never seen Harry and Meghan but she had seen other A-Listers walking around. Apparently, nobody bothers them and it’s ‘super casual’. Wow!
28. Stunning views
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Montecito itself is not only a playground to many A-Listers and a beautiful stretch of coastline. In fact, this little pocket of paradise is also home to astonishing hills and a laidback and charming town, complete with restaurants, cafes, and boutiques, all painted in neutral colors but mostly white.
29. Evacuation!
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During January of this year, the affluent and star-studded seaside community of Montecito was evacuated from their homes, including the Sussexes! This was due to strong and devastating storms in the area that caused dangerous floods and mudslides, and it was reported that one young boy was swept away in the fast-flowing waters.
30. Moving on?
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There has been speculation, despite the beauty of their home and how much they adore it, that the Sussexes are currently gearing up to move on. There was not only the scary warning of the storms earlier this year, but it has also been reported that they have had up to six security breaches at their estate, including when their children were at home.
31. A bright living room
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The house, which is around a two hour drive from downtown LA, also boasts a bright and inviting living room area, with a pale yellow design, light wooden bookcases and light furniture. It looks like the perfect spot to relax as a family and read a kid’s story or two!
32. Another of its many bedrooms
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And it looks like that color scheme is a favorite with the pair, as the light wood and happy yellow tones continue to one of the mansion’s many bedrooms. The bedrooms are all huge, with a bed that’s more than big enough for guests, stunning window views and plenty of natural light!
33. Another shot of the whole pool
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The pool area boasts a stunning view while you’re taking a morning dip, as well as being surrounded by comfy-looking sun loungers and plenty of greenery. The backyard space also includes a full tennis court, a guest house, large trees, a terrace and a rose garden!
34. But this mansion isn’t the one shown on the Netflix doc
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When we first saw the trailers for the Netflix doc, like this famous shot, we’d be forgiven for thinking it’d be inside their LA home, but actually the house shown on the Netflix documentary was a completely different one. The cameras were inside this other stunning mansion, not too far away from their actual family home.
35. The Netflix mansion
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The home shown in the documentary has beautiful ocean and mountain views, as well as another stunning swimming pool and outside space. The mansion has a lot more traditional features like wooden beams and huge arched doorways, and was equipped with ‘formal’ hosting rooms for the interviews.
36. The interior is on the ‘chic’ side
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You can definitely see the difference here to the family living room in their LA mansion, which was more of a homely feel with the pale yellow and large bookcases. This mansion instead has more of a cool, chic vibe, with lots of glass, white or cream decor and a chandelier.
37. Harry and Meghan’s starter home
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Where their relationship – and property portfolio – all began, the pair started out with one of the smaller residences within Kensington Palace (and by small we obviously mean it would be huge to anyone who wasn’t a celeb). The starter home was Nottingham Cottage, complete with small, manageable garden.
38. Their engagement interview was actually filmed there
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We’ll all remember one of the first interviews we saw with this pair, when they announced their engagement and told the cameras about how they were fixed up and how it all started. That interview had a modest and cozy-looking backdrop, which was actually Nottingham Cottage.
39. And then there was Frogmore Cottage
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The late Queen Elizabeth II was very generous with her wedding gifts, so when Harry and Meghan officially tied the knot, the queen’s gift was a new family home: Frogmore Cottage. The cottage had been home to many royals over the years, and was converted back to a family home for the pair.
40. But that didn’t stop them wanting a holiday home in Canada
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Not content with stunning royal residences in England, the pair then got their hands on a rather lavish holiday home in Canada. They spent six weeks here for an extended family vacation over the Christmas period, and the mansion is based right on the waterfront.
41. A beautiful spot on Vancouver Island
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The vacation home was not only positioned by the water, but came complete with a huge garden, with mowed lawn and rows on rows of colorful flowers. The property also had access to not one, but two nearby beaches and included five bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
42. The house was open-plan over two stories
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The Canadian home certainly was short of space or attractions to keep a family entertained over the cozy Christmas period. The property included a huge open-plan living space, a pizza oven, a games room, an inviting fireplace, a media room and even a wine-tasting room!
43. The Netflix mansion had stunning scenery
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Even from inside the living room, which Meghan used for a lot of the interviews during the documentary, you can see the stunning ocean scenery through the massive windows behind her. The space was ultra-calming and seemed to be a place of peace for the pair.
44. Their wedding reception at Frogmore House
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The couple used Frogmore in the UK as the base for their wedding reception, following the televised event at Windsor Castle. The beautiful, clean white Frogmore was host to 200 guests following the royal wedding, and it later opened to the public again as a place you can visit and look around.
45. Before she deleted her Instagram…
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Before Meghan had to delete her Instagram account to take being a royal very seriously, she was always sharing snapshots into her interior design at the home she had before she moved into any royal residences or mansions. Her home looked more genuinely cozy than ‘stage for Netflix documentary’.
46. Soho’s private members club
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During the early days of their relationship, Harry and Meghan didn’t have royal residences or private mansions to use as a base. Instead, they met up regularly in London – specifically, a private members only club in Soho, with a cozy interior and plenty of seating to get to know each other..
47. It’s where they spent their ‘last night of freedom’
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The pair enjoyed their time in this Soho space even more because it was during the days before they went public with their relationship – this was where they spent their last moments of freedom and privacy together before the world knew who they were, and before the big mansions to come!
48. Meghan’s Toronto home – where Harry would pay a visit
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When Meghan was a busy actress filming Suits, she lived in this townhouse in Toronto, which is also where Harry would make plenty of visits during the days when they were first dating. The house had a simple back garden space – which looks neglected compared to those sprawling back yards their mansions have!
49. Meghan’s house with her first husband
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And of course we know that Harry isn’t Meghan’s first husband… and when she was married to Trevor Engelson, they called this place home: this Colonial-style property located in Los Angeles. The mansion, while hugely impressive and modern in decor, was rented and not owned by the pair.
50. Meghan moved out after the breakup
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And it’s a good job the pair were renting instead of buying, because ultimately they broke up, divorced and Meghan moved out of the home. But we know that after that moment she was looking to bigger and better things – both in husbands and in Los Angeles mansions!