As if it wasn't earth-shattering enough for them to choose to step away from their duties as working members of the British royal family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry caused further shockwaves when they decided to relocate their new home base well across the pond, in Montecito, California. Since they moved in last summer, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have given only quick glimpses into their new abode—a Zoom background here, a backyard interview with Gloria Steinem there—but they offered their most revealing look at their peaceful West Coast retreat yet during their groundbreaking interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired on March 7.
The bulk of the interview took place at a neighbor's home in their Santa Barbara-adjacent community, but Harry and Meghan invited Oprah into their own residence for a quick tour that was also included in the CBS special. Perhaps most striking of all in this footage was the reveal that the Sussexes' backyard includes a chicken coop called "Archie's Chick Inn," named after their 22-month-old son, which is home to a whole squad of chickens the couple recently rescued from a factory farm.
Here's everything else we know about Harry and Meghan's California home.
They moved in in July 2020.
The couple made their move last summer: According to an August report from Variety, the house was purchased through a trust publicly unattached to either of their names in June 2020, and they moved in the following month. The Mediterranean-style home is a sprawling 18,671 square feet, with nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, all spread across a 7.4-acre compound. It was listed for $14.65 million, for which Harry and Meghan reportedly secured a $9.5 million mortgage.
Their neighborhood is extremely star-studded.
As Variety notes, Montecito is known for its very famous residents and, therefore, its preoccupation with privacy—which is largely why Meghan and Harry chose to settle their growing family there. "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," a representative for the couple told People last summer. Those neighbors include Oprah herself, plus Gwyneth Paltrow, Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Cruise, and Ariana Grande.
They've shown off their Cali-casual decor before.
Though privacy is a huge priority for Harry and Meghan, they've given the public occasional peeks into their new home in the months since they moved in. The earliest of these came in August, when the pair joined a video call on behalf of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust from a particularly sunlit corner of their home that included a leafy green plant and the edge of an ornate stone fireplace; the same corner appeared in Meghan's September video call with the charity Smart Works and in Harry's own call that same month with Trailwalker UK.
In September, Meghan filmed a solo cameo appearance that aired during an episode of America's Got Talent. In that video, the casually dressed duchess sat on an oatmeal-colored couch adorned with black-and-white striped pillows, with a bouquet of hydrangeas, a Diptyque candle, and stacks of coffee table books behind her. That particular angle of their cozy living room has reappeared multiple times since then, offering an even broader look at the trio of bird's nest portraits that hang behind the couch.
Just before Christmas, Mayhew, a charity the couple regularly works with, shared a photo of the Sussexes Christmas card. The painted portrait shows Meghan and Harry playing with Archie in front of his life-sized playhouse in their vast backyard, showcasing their lush lawns, tall privacy hedges, and plenty more greenery surrounding the play area. Their gorgeous backyard was also the backdrop for the February announcement that Harry and Meghan are expecting their second child.
We’re thrilled to receive wonderful Christmas wishes from our Patron, The Duchess of Sussex, who also made a personal donation, helping dogs, cats and our community. 💜 From all of us at Mayhew, thank you and Merry Christmas. 🎄🐶🐱Find out more! 👉 https://t.co/5o2RHLveRM pic.twitter.com/uBV19F6OdtDecember 23, 2020
