Inside Harry and Meghan’s ‘startlingly big’ California mansion of ‘unimaginable wealth’

In a new interview Meghan Markle offered a peek inside the Montecito mansion she shares with husband Harry, which boasts nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms as well as a tennis court and guest house

Harry and Meghan during a video call in their home

Harry and Meghan during a video call in their home (
Image: ENTERPRISE NEWS AND PICTURES)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have lived in their nine-bedroom California home for over two years.

The Sussexes moved ‘in secret’ to their £11million mansion in secluded Montecito in July 2020 just a few months after officially stepping down as working royals.

The property – the first that either has reportedly ever owned – is a far cry from the duke’s former apartment in Kensington Palace or Frogmore Cottage, where the couple moved after getting married in 2018.

But is still particularly regal.

Rather than counting the Queen or Prince William and Kate Middleton as neighbours now they live amongst US television royalty, including pals Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.

Meghan says it makes her “feel free” and is “calm and healing” to live in the luxury home in the gated community in Santa Barbara.

Harry and Meghan's home
The couple’s 14,500ft estate in Montecito ( 
Image:
Google Earth)
In an interview with The Cut published yesterday, the 41-year-old gushed about her 18,000-square-foot residence, where she lives with Harry, 37, and their children Archie, three, and Lilibet, one.

It boasts nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, as well as a tennis court, tea house and two-bedroom guest house.

There’s also a chicken coop, a pool and a pool house, and two palm trees joined together at the bottom.

Meghan at work at her desk as Harry juggles at the window
Meghan at work at her desk as Harry juggles at the window ( 
Image:
Archewell)
Meghan and Harry share an office with a single desk placed in front of a fireplace with “two plush club chairs placed side by side … facing into the room like thrones”.

A sitting room includes cozy chairs and rosewater candles from Soho House, whose founder Nick Jones is a friend of Meghan’s.

It also houses a grand piano gifted to the couple by actor and director Tyler Perry, who had also allowed them to stay in his Beverly Hills mansion during Covid lockdown in 2020 on leaving the UK.

View of the gate of the Estate where Prince Harry and his wife US actress Meghan Markle have their house
The gate of the property ( 
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
The article’s writer Allison P. Davis adds: “The Montecito house is the kind of big that startles you into remembering that unimaginable wealth is actually someone’s daily reality.”

Meghan told the journalist she and Harry had fallen head over heels in love with the property after simply touring the outside.

However, having left the Firm in part to live by their own means, and yet to score the lucrative Spotify and Netflix deals, they feared they couldn’t afford it.

Meghan during a surprise appearance on the America's Got Talent final
Meghan during a surprise appearance on the America’s Got Talent final ( 
Image:
AGT/Youtube)Don’t Miss

    Regardless, they told their broker they were interested.

    Meghan explained: “We did everything we could to get this house because you walk in and go … Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”

    The home has previously been reported to have a lift, a chef’s kitchen with a butler’s pantry, a billiards room which includes a wet bar, a gym, wine cellar and spa.

    Meghan and Harry during a Spotify stream
    Meghan and Harry during a Spotify stream ( 
    Image:
    Spotify)
    Harry and Meghan had previously revealed parts of the property during their controversial Oprah interview in March 2021, including the chicken coop.

    While the duchess’s 40th birthday video and various other publicised footage have revealed some of the interior as the couple continue to renovate.

    An old listing on a rental platform from before they moved in has also revealed a fuller picture of the grandeur of the layout.

    The couple showed off their chicken coop in an interview with Oprah Winfrey

    The couple showed off their chicken coop in an interview with Oprah Winfrey
    It was previously called the Chauteau of Riven Rock and was advertised on Giggster for event hire and shoots, reports Hello.

    One image shows off the billiard room with authentic stone walls, while the wine cellar has enough space for hundreds of bottles.

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    Next is a library with fitted cabinets and wooden beams on the ceiling.

    Then the open-plan cooking space has two islands for food prep, while the dining area looks particularly regal with a grand chandelier.

    The exterior features climbing foliage and traditional rustic shutters.