Everything You Need to Know About Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Montecito Mansion
Just over a year ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made history by stepping back from their roles as senior members of the royal family, months before moving to California with their infant son, Archie. With this monumental move came an equally massive home to live in: a Montecito mansion that the couple purchased for $14,650,000 in August of 2020.
The 18,671-square-foot home boasts 16 bathrooms and nine bedrooms, not to mention a tea house, two-bedroom guest house, pool, tennis court—and a chicken coop, as seen during their tell-all interview with Oprah. This Mediterranean-style dwelling, which was built in 2003, also features its own movie theater, elevator, arcade room, wet and dry sauna rooms, a gym, library, and other impressive amenities. Sure, it’s no Kensington Palace (the Prince’s longtime home) or Frogmore Cottage (another royal residence, where the couple lived for less than a year)—but it’s undeniably worthy of a former Duke and Duchess, nonetheless.
Following their time spent living in Frogmore Cottage—which is located on the grounds of Windsor Castle—Harry, Meghan, and Archie initially fled to Canada, before finally settling in California. The reason for their many moves? As the duo recently told Oprah, their son was denied security before his birth and the family was cut off financially from the royal family following their decision to step down as senior members. Evidently, they were left to figure out this big move for themselves—and they likely chose California because Markle was born and raised there, and her mother and friends also live in the Golden State.
After their move to California, the family of three (and their many chickens and two dogs) lived in Tyler Perry’s Beverly Hills mansion—and the generous movie mogul even provided them with the security they desperately needed. Months later, they moved out of the princely abode, following their purchase of the place they now call home: a Montecito compound that sits on 7.4 acres, which previously belonged to Russian businessman Sergey Grishin, according to Variety. Grishin—who is worth over $500 million—purchased the property for $25.3 million in 2009, so Harry and Meghan’s $14.65 million payment looks like a pretty good deal by comparison…!
Although the former royals likely have above-average security given their highly publicized every move, their home is not free of trespassers. According to TMZ, an intruder was caught trespassing at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Montecito mansion twice in December of 2020—first on Christmas Eve, and again the day after Christmas.
If you have $22 million to spare and wouldn’t mind being able to say that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are your neighbors, the property next door is on the market. And if you don’t have that kind of money lying around, might we suggest investing in a more affordable option, like something akin to Archie’s chicken coop?
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