The Duke & Duchess of Sussex have purchased a family home in Santa Barbara

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This news was broken by Page Six and then confirmed by People Magazine, so it’s legit: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have moved out of Tyler Perry’s Mansion and into their newly-purchased home in Santa Barbara, a wealthy and quiet coastal community 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Many famous Angelenos have “beach homes” or second homes in Santa Barbara, and it would not surprise me at all if this Santa Barbara home turns out to be their second home, long-term. But for now, People confirms that “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year. 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.” Page Six had more, including Harry sniffing at Tyler Perry’s Mansion.

Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have secretly bought a private family home in Santa Barbara — the place they have chosen to put down permanent roots and bring up their son Archie after leaving the British royal family. Page Six can exclusively reveal that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have for six weeks been living in their own home in the upscale California community, which is also home to their friends Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.

Amid much speculation that the couple would buy a place in Los Angeles, a source told Page Six, “Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July. They are not houseguests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves. This is where they want to continue their lives after leaving the UK. This is the first home either of them has ever owned. It has been a very special time for them as a couple and as a family — to have complete privacy for six weeks since they moved in. They intend to put down their roots in this house and the quiet community, which has considerable privacy. This is where they want to bring Archie up, where they hope he can have as normal a life as possible.”

The source adds “Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home. It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the US to be close to Meghan’s mom [who lives in LA].”

The source would not reveal details of the home, such as the price they paid or the location, citing security concerns, but added, “They have thought about this carefully and researched it well. This is the place where they plan to be happy, make good friends and bring up Archie, giving him the chance to play with other children his age.”

The source added, with regards to the paparazzi drones flown over Tyler Perry’s LA house, “Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn’t the reason they left Los Angeles. They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara. While it was a nice favor to them at a very difficult time, Tyler Perry’s house with 18 bedrooms isn’t Harry’s style. Yes, he grew up in royalty and the halls of Buckingham Palace, but he prefers more intimate homes with character.”

[From Page Six]

Honestly, I bet Harry did have some culture shock just in regard to real estate as he moved to LA – the mega-mansions, the gaudiness and the lack of historical real estate in general. But yeah, Tyler Perry did them a solid so I don’t get the crack about Tyler’s house not being Harry’s style. Blah. As for wanting Archie to grow up in Santa Barbara… it sounds a lot like “we’re making our permanent base Frogmore Cottage.” Harry and Meghan want some space and distance, but I feel like they’ll find it’s unrealistic to be so far away from a major city like LA permanently.

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177 Responses to “The Duke & Duchess of Sussex have purchased a family home in Santa Barbara”

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  1. Roserose says:

    Santa Barbara is amazing. It’s a great place and I think they’ll be very happy there.

    • lemonylips says:

      I have a friend living there and loving it, says it has a nice mix of USA and EU vibes. It just always reminds me of the soap opera with the same name that was a hit on TV when I was little.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I agree. It’s not that far away from LA. About an hour in good traffic. If they aren’t going in for daily meetings, it makes sense. There’s much more space there.

      • Chaine says:

        Exactly. TBH from my business travel experience, you can get from LAX to Santa Barbara more quickly than you can get from LAX to some parts of suburban LA.

    • Anne Call says:

      I live in Santa Barbara and I think they will be very happy here. Most probably they bought in Montecito which is slightly south of downtown and full of stunning and very private estates. There is a great little retail and restaurant area in Montecito on Coast Village road and they have 2 wonderful K-6 separate elementary schools. Also many great private schools in the area if they need that for extra security. Lots of well known people live here and it’s close enough to LA (Beverly Hills is about 75 miles and Malibu only 55 from Montecito) for people to get back and forth easily. It’s called the American Riviera because the mountains run a bit from the coastline and the city is nestled in between. It’s also full of cultural events, there’s a great film festival every January and the nearby University of California Santa Barbara adds a lot to the community. They will appreciate the temperate climate. It’s a bit foggy in the morning in the summer and then clears away to bright beautiful 75 degree weather. Winters also stay pretty moderate, my husband paddle surfs all year round here, Hope they love it here!!

    • Abena Asantewaa says:

      I think, what Page 6 wrote about Tyler’s house, is Page Six, opinion of what they think Harry would like, rather than, what Harry had said. I will ignore that

      • ABritGuest says:

        Yeah the thoughts on Tyler Perry’s house is BS& s**t stirring seeing as the ‘source’ seems to think Harry grew up in Buckingham Palace.

        But I thought royal reporters said Meghan spent her birthday quietly at Tyler’s house? (Which would be an obvious report tbh). It’s almost as if they don’t have sources and make things up..

  2. Sofia says:

    I hope they enjoy their new house and that paps can’t get to it

    • Godwina says:

      Drones.

      • morrigan01 says:

        Drones are illegal. At least, if they are flown by paps to take pics of people on their private property they are. State wide law.

        So the paps can try it, just like the did in LA. But whomever is doing it better get ready to get arrested for it and, at least, fined.

      • HeyJude says:

        Parts of the Santa Barbara area are still very woodsy, finding a home with tree cover of the outdoor spaces (up towards the mountains) to guard against drones’ view-ability wouldn’t be too tall an order.

  3. morrigan01 says:

    Santa Barbara is lovely. Right off and overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And it’s not part of Los Angeles, but in its own county, Santa Barbara County. Quiet and lowkey. Good for them.

    And it’s not TOO far away from LA. Almost 100 miles yeah, but it’s only an hour and 1/2 drive. And maybe they don’t feel like they have to be in LA all the time to do whatever work they want to do. Everyone is learning how to lead that Zoom Meeting work-life because of the pandemic anyway. (And you can maybe take a Southwest Airlines commuter 15 minute flight down to LA real quick if you must or something).

    • Lauren says:

      I was going to say, Santa Barbara isn’t far from LA. A lot of people who work in LA will live in surrounding areas like Santa Barbara.

    • MF1 says:

      Hi, LA resident here. It’s more like a 3-hour drive with traffic. You’re probably right that H&M will take a short flight or helicopter to LA when needed. And no, I don’t know anyone who works in LA and lives in Santa Barbara County. The commute would be unlivable.

      • morrigan01 says:

        Yeah, I was leaving traffic out of it. Though, from what I understand the traffic only gets REALLY bad once you get closer to LA?

        I’ve never done the drive myself however, so IDK; I have been in the car for it, but THAT was on vacation trips during breaks and long holiday weekends, which is always going to have heavy traffic.

        Honestly, after the Kobe thing, I hope the DON’T take a helicopter. I never knew anyone who did it, but I understand the quick flight commute is something many people do.

      • Anne Call says:

        I drive to LA from SB a lot (pre pandemic) and it depends when and where you are going. I meet friends for lunch in Malibu all the time and it takes about 45 minutes. Likewise friends in west LA take about 75-90 minutes. Just have to time it. Going to downtown or Pasadena will take longer because traffic is always backed up in those areas. There are no helicopter pads allowed in Montecito so they will not be using that for transport. They’ll probably have offices in SB and not need to go back and forth much, but plenty of people do.

      • morrigan01 says:

        @Anne Call Haha. I live in the Pasadena area, and yeah, the traffic sucks – from the streets of Old Town to the 110 and 210 Freeways. Though it hasn’t been so bad during the pandemic.

      • Div says:

        If you time it right, it’s not a bad drive. I used to drive from West Hollywood to Santa Barbara all the time and it takes around an hour and 45 minutes without traffic and 3 with traffic. I doubt they have to be in L.A. all the time….my guess is they’ll have offices/work in Santa Barbara and drive down to L.A. a few times a month.

        There are definitely some people who work mostly from home that commute to L.A for work on occasion….but yeah a regular 9-5 schedule would not fit with working in L.A. and living in Santa Barbara.

      • Anne Call says:

        @morrigan01 yeah, I grew up in Silverlake and we used to get to Santa Monica in 20 minutes (I’m old) and Pasadena was a quick hop away for shopping on Lake street. Gene Burton for the win! Our son moved to DTLA for awhile and getting from SB to downtown was fine until you hit the valley and then it took forever. I actually took the train down a few times (once for the women’s march) and that is a lovely ride along the coast.

      • Nic919 says:

        I read this thread and was reminded of the Californians skit on SNL.

      • Alexandria says:

        @Nic919 omg I still remember that!

  4. Belli says:

    I’m glad they had their sex weeks living there without anyone knowing and it’s a pity it couldn’t last longer for them before the tabloids leaked it.

    I can’t wait to hear about how moving to a quiet, private town means they’re desperate for attention…

  5. Snuffles says:

    Santa Barbara is BEAUTIFUL and a lot more low key than LA. I can see why they would pick it as a place to raise Archie in. And it’s not that far away from LA. About an hour and a half away. Plenty of celebrities live there too. When they need to go to LA for business, they’ll just commute like the rest of the world.

    • HeatherC says:

      It’s a very real possibility that Zoom meetings and telecommuting will become a permanent fixture in the business and philanthropic world so where they live and distance from a large city may not be as big a factor as it was in February 2020 also.

  6. Harper says:

    Good for them! How long until Wills leaks the address?

    • Royalwatcher says:

      Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson by now and won’t give their address to anyone in that backstabbing family!

      • aquarius64 says:

        Which side?

      • Edna says:

        Sounds like someone already knows and leaked the info that’s why their rep had to respond.

      • blacktoypoodle says:

        Exactly. Why would they need to give them an address? it’s not like the royals are driving over for dinner. Any any gifts (ha!) could be sent to an office or an assistant.

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        I hope they give them the address to the local UPS store where they rented a mail box. It would look like a legit address.

    • Lucy2 says:

      They should give William a fake address, and then see how long it takes for a tabloid to go scope out that house.

      • H says:

        I’m sure they’ll give it to Charles and Camilla. Willy can take a long walk off a short pier as far as im concerned.

  7. Girl_ninja says:

    How wonderful for their little family. A place of their own and as a beach girl living by the water *chefs kiss* perfect.

  8. Elizabeth says:

    “This is the first home either of them has ever owned.“ wait a minute, Meghan owned a home in Canada where she was filming Suits.

    • Snuffles says:

      No. She rented her home in Toronto while on Suits.

    • Royalwatcher says:

      I don’t think she owned that house, just rented. It was sold after she moved out though but didn’t appear to be sold by Meghan.

    • Cmmum says:

      I thought she owned a house in Toronto too?

    • Liane says:

      She rented.

    • morrigan01 says:

      She only rented the house in Toronto.

      Her and her ex-husband Trevor also rented and didn’t own their home in LA either. There was a write up about that house being on the market for sale too in Jan of this year: https://tinyurl.com/yygzllt6

    • Maria says:

      I think the chef bought the house and he and Meghan lived together there. When Meghan left for the UK chef Cory moved to Vancouver and the house went up for sale.

      • Nic919 says:

        When the house went up for sale Cory was not listed as the previous owner. The house was rented by the production company from the original owners and they rented it for Meghan, as they do for the other lead actors.

        Patrick Adams rented a condo in my building during that same time which was handled in a similar way.

  9. emmy says:

    I don’t think that was a dig at Tyler Perry, they just tried to make Harry look modest.

    Man, what I wouldn’t give to be able to purchase real estate. Not a house even, just an apartment.

    I hope we see them soon in some capacity, I miss watching their energy when they did engagements.

    • ItReallyIsYou,NotMe says:

      I also thought that was probably a response to the criticism that they’re living large in LA on a celebrity’s charity and expecting the BRF to pick up the tab for a similar house when they are ready to buy.But I do think it could have been worded better because it did make Harry sound very ungrateful to Tyler Perry and snobby about owning a large house, which is something that a lot of Americans aspire to.

    • CatWomen says:

      Well, Cali real estate is crazy, maybe ‘a more intimate home’ is a pre courser for them buying a 3000 sq foot home, a house for 5 million vs !0 million and more. It sounds like they purchased a nice house in a gated community. I like to look at real estate and beach communities around LA north and south have crazy expensive post modern houses with huge ceilings, 10 different textures of finishes and although beautiful look like hotel lobbies. Sort of think Harry’s being in tiny Notty Cottage ,makes me think a private home with good security for Archie is his priority, and Meghan has great style.. I would love love to see pictures but for their sakes I hope we don’t. Yes I’m reading FF too and the only time Harry gets upset unable to control himself is when the press invade threaten him and Meghan, as expected.

      • (TheOG) jan90067 says:

        I grew up in Beverly Hills, and still live in Century City (right next door, literally a block away from my old high school). Here, a TEAR DOWN, on a SMALL LOT is at least $1M. RE is insane here! The building across the street, where Candy Spelling bought her condo, has condos (CONDOS!) going for multi-millions. And that is living on top of each other, literally. Check these out (and these are just CONDOS): https://www.luxuryhomeslosangeles.com/los-angeles/the-century/

        Montecito homes are insanely beautiful, near the ocean, and very private. They’ll be happy there. Close enough to LA, yet removed enough to not be in its pocket.

      • SoCalVibes says:

        Exactly! And if you aren’t buying a home to impress other people and you want privacy without an army of staff, a 3-5000k sf home fits the bill perfectly for a young and hopefully expanding family.

  10. Ginger says:

    I’m really happy for them. Santa Barbara is gorgeous and a prefect place for them to raise their family.

  11. Noki says:

    Looking back at them living in Frogmore it was another dig at Meghan being put in her place. That place was horrible to put such a Senior Royal like Harry and his family. Arent the royals suppose to have a limitless supply of grand homes.

    • morrigan01 says:

      Frogmore Cottage was the *servants quarters.* They put Meghan and Harry (and Archie) in the *servants quarters*. That said a LOT, yes.

    • notasugarhere says:

      They were given the choice of the huge Gloucester space right next to W&K; they chose Frogmore. It was away from W&K, it was out of London, it could be ready sooner, or all those reasons.

      • Noki says:

        It was clear at that point they wanted to be as separate from the Cambs as possible, it is like they were given an option of something nice only because it was next to the Cambs and then when they declined off to the *servants quarters* they go. They should have been offered something miles better.

      • Mumbles says:

        Per their own website at the time, they said they chose Frogmore.

      • Maria says:

        I thought it was hard to get the Gloucesters out of that place. They only moved last year.

      • notasugarhere says:

        The new space had to be prepared for the Gloucesters before 1) the Gloucesters could move and 2) reno could begin at the larger space for Harry and Meghan.

    • Amy Bee says:

      You know I’ve seen a lot people complain that Frogmore was the servants quarters but I don’t think it was slight against Meghan. As the story goes it was in the process of being renovated and it was far away from William and Kate. Another thing is, it doesn’t seem like Harry was really into living in a huge house. He spent years in Nottingham Cottage which is said to be tiny and I don’t think Diana’s place at KP was that big either. Plus Meghan didn’t grow up in a mansion so I can see both of them wanting something more intimate. Her house in Toronto wasn’t big either.

  12. Becks1 says:

    Good for them. And we know they didn’t tell the Cambridge’s because it would have leaked 6 weeks ago.

    No wonder Tyler Perry laughed when asked about them. He knew they had moved and was probably relieved that the news hadn’t leaked yet.

    Overall, as time goes on, it’s clear what a snub Frogmore was.

    • Anance says:

      Even the name. Yes, it was a snub. Harry & Meghan expected to move into KP near W&K, but that fell apart for some reason.

      All the BRF had available was a servant’s quarters, needing major renovations, called Frogmore Cottage. Oh … and there’s a mausoleum of royal dead nearby, plus it’s right under a busy approach to Heathrow.

      During this time, the Queen gifted fave son, Andrew, Windsor Lodge a huge property nearby. One that would have been available to H&M.

      Harry & Meghan, as they did back then, put a good face on it. Only to be ridiculed more – too many improvements, the servants being kicked out, existing.

      After Frogmore, I knew it was over.

      • CatWomen says:

        I thought it was a diss too. Not so much now. Renovated Frogmore Cottage on the grounds of Windsor would be an ideal location base for them, definitely they will travel back to England and use it there? If everything worked out and over time and distance it’s likely to end up they will visit a couple of times a year , Archie will met his cousins , Charles is going to want to see them. Let’s just say for William and Harry’s sake, I hope they get on because it’s best for everyone now that H&M are all the way around the world.

      • HeyJude says:

        The Daily Fail’s headline on this news today was exactly still dumping on the Frogmore issue- “buy a new house while they still owe $3M on another in UK!!!…”

        (*Eyeroll*)

      • notasugarhere says:

        They were offered the large Gloucester space, but it wouldn’t be ready before she was due and they were offered Frogmore Cottage, which would be ready. They chose Frogmore. They said they spent a lot of their courtship walking around Windsor, so they would have known all about the airport noise. And still chose Frogmore.

        ‘During this time, the Queen gifted fave son, Andrew, Windsor Lodge a huge property nearby. One that would have been available to H&M. ‘

        No. Andrew got the lease on Royal Lodge back in 2003 when the Queen Mum passed away.

  13. BlueSky says:

    Just reading the first 3 chapters of FF and fro that it seemed Harry was never one for the over the top. He seemed to prefer more modest accommodations.

  14. Edna says:

    How wonderful for them. I hope there’s plenty of privacy and security to keep the media away. But let the countdown begin to the mad media rush to intrude on their privacy and learn the cost of everything. And I don’t think they would intentionally diss Tyler Perry. Since this is Page Six reporting, I’ll have to side eye the comment about Tyler Perry’s mansion.

  15. Busyann says:

    Ooooooh I love Santa Barbara sooooo much. The traffic sucks when you start getting closer to LA, but its not that out of reach that it isnt drivable a few times a week if you had to do it. I bet this is a permanent base for them. Honestly wouldnt be surprised at all. Its far enough away but yet still close to LA. And the people are much different. LA can be a hard place on the soul lol. Santa Barbara is smaller, more low key, and safer than LA in my opinion.

    I wonder if its Santa Barbara or Montecito?

    • Snuffles says:

      I wouldn’t be surprised if it somewhere in Santa Barbara COUNTY and not necessarily the city of Santa Barbara.

      • Züri says:

        I agree. I was thinking even Ojai, which is a really lovely community.

      • morrigan01 says:

        That actually makes a lot of sense. Just saying they live in Santa Barbara is like when people were saying they were living in LA. Well no, technically they were living in the CITY of Beverly Hills, which is in LA County. But they weren’t living in the city of LA itself. (Or “Hollywood,” which is what the trolls/haters kept saying).

      • (TheOG) jan90067 says:

        My money is on Montecito. It has beautiful estates, spread out enough to give privacy, and is a good, secure area.

    • Acires says:

      It’s Ventura County not Santa Barbara

  16. Edna says:

    Archie and any siblings will grow up with American accents. I’m sure H&M will honor both British and American cultures in his upbringing but I love the idea of him having an American accent.

    Also, I’ve started reading Finding Freedom and as others have said, I don’t particularly like the style of writing. Also, it’s obvious the authors didn’t want to damage their working relationships with the Royals so that’s why there’s so much straddling the line and both sides. Whatever really went on behind the scenes must have been truly awful.

    • Anance says:

      —— Whatever really went on behind the scenes must have been truly awful.——

      Yes. I take everything we have heard and increase it by a factor of 4 on the awfulness scale. The BRF’s behavior in public belies their public statement. Look at their last appearance with W&K.

      How bad does it get that W&K felt perfectly entitled to cut them in public that way? For Sophie and Edward to frantically help them do that by further ignoring H&M.

      That’s in public — imagine in private.

      • Sid says:

        I have to give Edward credit where it is due. He was perfectly well-mannered during the Commonwealth ceremony and made a point of engaging with Meghan and Harry while Sophie sat there like a fool ignoring them. If my memory is right, Edward was also one of the only ones behaving politely during Bishop Curry’s sermon at their wedding.

      • Redgrl says:

        @sid – yes i agree re Edward. He was the only one who was polite and gracious while the others were flat out rude at the Commonwealth Service and behaving like ignorant fools at the wedding.

    • swirlmamad says:

      Yes, I’m mid-read too and there’s a lot of….glossing over the Cambridges, Charles, etc. Making them look decent and normal, when we know if they actually were, things would never have gotten this bad.

    • bettyrose says:

      Midway through myself. So far there’s nothing we haven’t already covered here, but surprised much of it seems to have insight into H & M’s thoughts at specific moments, which I guess could come from their authorized friends, but it definitely reads like H & M were involved with the writing. And, yeah, it’s total kid glove handling of the RF.

      • Cynthia says:

        I think it’s more like the authors took some liberties? This is after all not an authorized biography. The authors’ aim was not to tell the whole truth, or we would hear more about what really went on. There are a few inaccuracies as well.

  17. S808 says:

    *looks up what the homes look like in SB*
    I feel like anywhere else in the state is not as fast paced as LA so good on them for getting a place outside the city but still close enough to make the trip to LA. I know they’re so tired of moving so hopefully they get some peace in their new permanent home. Is there a way to block the address from being leaked?

    • Stacy Dresden says:

      Purchasing via an LLC is what most would do

    • Tasz says:

      For the last couple years, I’ve been dealing with sold and for sale properties. Using the information written online by news outlets, it took about 30 minutes to locate 2 very good possibilities for their new home. I predict the property will be found quickly. And that is with a little research. Gossip vipers will probably just try to pay for info.

      Whoever leaked this…aaarrrgghh…totally disgusting.

      • H says:

        Property Shark. I bet some journo will find it that way.

      • Anne Call says:

        They probably bought a very secure estate in Montecito that has a gatehouse. Everyone knows where Oprah lives but when you drive by all you see is a gatehouse. She’s got 50 plus acres. They’ll be fine. Montecito is used to famous people.

      • TaraBest says:

        I’ve worked in real estate for a while now and with a quick trip through Zillow and Google you can find just about anything you need on a property. I’m sure their location will be outed soon enough, but how great it’s been several weeks and no one noticed!

      • Busyann says:

        I think it will come out eventually but not all real estate listings and sales are public. Right? There are pocket listings and the home could have been purchased by an LLC. Honestly, if they really really really wanted to hide it, they probably could.

  18. KellyRyan says:

    Beautiful area. Not only close to the ocean but rolling foothills. Relaxed living, safe. With Covid-19 remaining at the forefront ZOOM meetings have become the norm. No reason for them to travel for business.

  19. Sunflowerlady says:

    I’m curious how immigration works with Harry planning to stay here permanently. Does anyone know? Is he allowed to live here because his wife and son are citizens, or will he have to get a working visa with their charity? Just curious.

  20. TheOriginalMia says:

    That’s great! Someplace entirely their own without any strings attached. I don’t buy the Harry comment about Tyler’s house.

    • El says:

      Yes, she can apply for a green card for her family members. In our case it took a while so my husband had to separately apply for a work visa. Which he qualified for as he was waiting for residency. Then we also had to apply for advance parole so that he could return to the US if he left. Then we had to renew everything because there was a backlog. On that note, my husband was in the country on a student visa. If Henry initially came on a tourist visa that may complicate it. I’ve know some folks whose spouses couldn’t enter the US until they got their temporary green card. But their position they have lawyers and can find the work around they need.

    • Likeyoucare says:

      Yup, this statement is made by reporters to stir problems with tyler

  21. starryfish29 says:

    I’m choosing to believe that they wanted to get settled in their own place now that the twins are on their way. I’m speaking it into existence, Archie’s twin sisters are on their way.

    • Jegede says:

      Yeeesssssss!💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃

    • Liz version 700 says:

      That would be lovely!

    • Ginger says:

      I actually thought this move pretty much confirms she could be pregnant. Get the move out of the way before the baby comes. At least to me it does.

    • Liz version 700 says:

      Archie is going to be a great big brother to twin sisters Doria Tyler M-W and Michele Kamala M-W.

      • bettyrose says:

        One of the girls should have Diana in her name.

      • Liz version 700 says:

        Diana would be a lovely name to add.

      • notasugarhere says:

        If they have a daughter, that would be stressful enough for their child, being another granddaughter of Diana. No need to burden an innocent child with Diana’s name. W&K chose to do that and it was a mistake.

      • morrigan01 says:

        @notasugarhere I agree re: naming any daughter Diana. Don’t burden any daughter they might have with that name.

        I could see them give any daughter they might have Diana’s middle name – Frances – that same middle name though. I think that might be less burdensome.

  22. Jessie says:

    I grew up in Santa Barbara. It’s close enough to LA that it’s NBD. I can’t imagine they would move back after living there. If you can afford the cost of living it’s beautiful.

  23. Capepopsie says:

    Very happy for them! Really hope they will find
    peace and tranquility there! ❤️

  24. Lisa says:

    Happy for them. It sounds like the perfect meld of their personalities with the beach and polo.

  25. Snuffles says:

    https://montecito-estate.com/celebrity-living-in-santa-barbara/

    Apparently it’s nicknamed the American Riviera.

    • Jenn says:

      Wow, that realtor is selling Jonathan Winters’s house! He was my dad’s absolute favorite :,)

  26. Helen says:

    It’s hilarious (and sad) how anyone can believe “royal insiders” know anything when they didn’t know these two bought an entire ass house, moved in and have been living there for more than a month.

    • Babz says:

      I’ve said before that these two are like damn Ninjas! Honeymoon location and duration still unknown. They made a quick trip to London where Meghan had Archie and were back home a few hours later before anyone knew anything had happened. They took their Canadian break in November/December, and the only reason they were discovered – after FIVE weeks – was because Will outed them to Wooten. They left the UK in March and everyone thought they were back in Canada, and they were actually in LA. Now, they house hunted, purchased said house, and moved in SIX weeks ago, while the paps with their drones were still stalking Tyler Perry’s house. They are master strategists in the art of stealth, and I am here for it all day. My hope is that it will a good long while before their location is outed again – at least until after the twin girls are born! 😉😉

  27. bluemoonhorse says:

    What are the local laws about drones and pap shots? I’m curious if there is something there that would benefit them legally.

    • morrigan01 says:

      Have no idea what the local laws are. But it’s a *state wide law* that it’s illegal for drones to be flown by paps over private property to take pictures. So as long as they stay in California, any paps who attempt the drone thing again to get pictures of them or Archie will still be breaking the law.

    • Anne Call says:

      No one will get away with a drone in Montecito. Lots of famous people and they keep a tight lid on things. Some very wealthy tried to get permission to put in helicopter pads for quicker access to LA and LAX, but that was not allowed to happen. Santa Barbara is extremely protective of its city. No billboards allowed and a no growth attitude for many years.

  28. Lucy2 says:

    Congratulations to them, it sounds like the perfect solution. Close enough to Los Angeles for various work things, but far enough to give them some privacy.

  29. KellyRyan says:

    Illegal under FAA law. CA laws on invasion of privacy and harassment would apply to trespassing, intrusion. (Answering the question on drones and privacy).

  30. taylor says:

    for their sake, i hope they can get to a point where they don’t feel pressured to explain their intentions in every statement. any other public comment would have simply read that they have moved into their new home. less is better, especially when an entire country’s media is looking for any little detail to make a story out of.

    • Sid says:

      Is there a longer official statement ? The one I saw is maybe 2 or 3 lines, and doesn’t even mention a location.

  31. MaryContrary says:

    My college aged daughter immediately texted one of her BFFs who lives in Santa Barbara saying “Start scoping out Whole Foods for Meghan and Harry sightings!” I’ll keep you guys posted 😉

    • Olivia says:

      Lol…Pls do. I’m so happy for them. At last they’ll find peace and quietness for their budding family esp Archie.

    • HeyJude says:

      I feel like they’re farmer’s market people. Shop small/local people.

      • Anne Call says:

        SB has the best farmer’s market. Last year I was grabbing for some avocados and realized I was jostling Julie Louis Dreyfus. Very embarrassing.

  32. CindyP says:

    Santa Barbara is ~ 100 miles from LA, which in CA is a daily commute for lots of people. It’s hardly a backwater.

  33. Valiantly Varnished says:

    I highly doubt Harry said or expressed anything disparaging about the Perry’s house. Im also sure they are happy to be in their own space that is theirs alone.

  34. Sophie says:

    I live in Montecito and we noticed a loud drone buzzing around last night, which is basically unheard of here. I wonder if there was any connection to this story, though more likely it was just someone playing with a new toy.
    They may have chosen Hope Ranch instead. It’s really close to the beach, fancy houses, and it wasn’t affected by the Thomas fire or debris flows. Large swaths of Montecito have had to evacuate every winter when heavy rains arrive (I think it will be 5-10 years of increased debris flow risk), and fire insurance rates are insane as well. We are actually hoping to relocate there within the next year or so because we are sick of the multiple last minute evacuations every winter. That being said, home sales in Montecito are wild right now – so many people from LA buying luxury homes up here since everyone is telecommuting anyway.

    • Anne Call says:

      Yeah lots of real estate activity in montecito recently. I think people like it better than hope ranch because of coast village road (and east valley) being more of a shopping and retail center for the community plus it’s closer to LA. I live on the Riviera so I’m in between but go to Montecito a lot. Never go to HR but I understand fire worries.

      • Sophie says:

        The riviera is the best! I hope you’re enjoying the lovely views up there and our perfectly sunny but not too hot summer 🙂

    • OK says:

      It’s not far from Lotusland.

  35. Milkweed says:

    I lived in Santa Barbara for a couple of years when I worked at UCSB. It’s such a lovely California beach town. My husband and I eloped at the beautiful Spanish courthouse there. Our ceremony with a judge in the lush courtyard cost $218, including silver rings bought on State Street and selfies at the top of the bell tower. I agree that the traffic is bananas. But you have amazing views of the sea if you’re stuck in stop-and-go traffic for hours, which you will be. Add in racial tensions between wealthy whites and Hispanic workers, a limited supply of housing, wildfires, and mudslides, and it can be very stressful living in paradise.

    • Anne Call says:

      To bring it all full circle Kamala Harris and her husband were also married at the SB courthouse. The mudslide was a once in a 500 year occurrence and SB has put in lots of safeguards since that terrible event (I live a mile or so away on the Riviera). Fires, sadly, are not going away…hopefully they bought in the flats of Montecito which is safer from fire than up on the hillside.

  36. julieJ says:

    We live here. My husband grew up here. People here live a quiet life. When we had the fires and it was known that Oprah was screaming at our firemen to get to her home to protect it, she became ostracized. When Brad Pitt was shopping at our Trader Joes (when he lived here) and there was a sign telling customers not to look at him, he became ostracized. Many many celebrities come here for peace and quiet. The circus that follows them will not be welcome

    • Anne Call says:

      Ah what? I also live here and have never heard those stories. Oprah held a big party for the fire department after the Thomas fire and mudslide. I also have gone to TJ’s forever and never saw a sign like that.

      • Vanessa says:

        I don’t believe this person story about anything it’s clearly it’s trolling and trying to find a negative angle to having The Sussex’s living in this area. Mostly people who live In California see celebrity they don’t make a big deal and the celebrity don’t bring attention to themselves because that’s where they live . I’m sure Meghan and Harry who have been through hell and back for just exist who just want to work and be happy will be the best neighbors. And have no problem living a quiet life they been their for six weeks and no one knew I’m sure the tumblr crowd will start rumors about how the Sussex’s aren’t like by the neighbors by best week .

      • julieJ says:

        The sign for Pitt was there in 2003, after we moved back from SF. My husband went in and called me to tell me. All it did was make people more agressive. His godfather is an estate lawyer. Very nice man. Doesn’t talk about clients. That story after the Tea fire was everywhere.

      • julieJ says:

        This is not trolling BTW. I’m very supportive of them living a quite life, happy, free life away from England and that racist family. And they are racist. They would rather support that uncle then a young couple. This is a small place. Celebs here are left alone. The ones that court attention don’t stay long.

    • bunny says:

      I feel like Oprah probably has decent insurance. Also, a lot of less wealthy people hired private fire crews. I think anyone would be screaming “please save my house!” in a fire. If she said “I’m OOOOOOOPRAAAAAAAH, my house gets saved first!” That would be different.

    • MA says:

      It’s very telling that they chose to settle in SB. Seems like a quiet place where the locals are laid back so celebrities can hide away. I hope the community there will be like Vancouver Island and be protective against outside paparazzi.

  37. Abena Asantewaa says:

    Knowing Harry, he will be so grateful to Tyler Perry giving them a place, these tabloids always have to cause conflicts. Harry will never say that, it’s very unharry. It’s Page Six afterall.

  38. Dee Kay says:

    I’m guessing the Santa Barbara house will be their home base, and they will eventually get a luxury condo or beautiful smaller house in LA, too, as their “pied-a-terre.” For ppl who have drivers and don’t need to navigate the traffic themselves, commuting to LA from SB will be fine, they’ll just need to build in time for traffic. But since many of their events in LA will go late into the night (I’m guessing), I predict they’ll buy in LA shortly after the pandemic eases.

  39. yinyang says:

    According to DM, they have already bought houses all over the world and moon 6 months ago, then was to heavily debt and was going live off friends forever, this is why you shouldn’t listen to gossip rag like the DM.
    Anyway, congratulations to them, Archie is going to love it.

  40. Lizzie says:

    I have wondered over the years since Diana’s death why was it so important to run from the paparazzi? If her car drove the speed limit and pics were taken, would that have been so bad? Of course driver was drunk so maybe the outcome would have been the same.
    And so when drones were flying over Tyler Perry’s house I thought maybe it would be a good idea to release pics of Archie from time to time. I think releasing pics of Archie might lower their value and the risks the paps are willing to take.

    • notasugarhere says:

      And if one of those drones had a weapon onboard, like an explosive device?

      Their son is a private citizen. They are under no obligation to release photos of him at any time.

      If you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll want a glass of milk to go with it. The RRs, tabloids, and crazies would never be satisfied no matter how many pics they released.

    • Tealie says:

      Sorry Lizzie I don’t think they should be beaten into taking pictures of their children for a bunch racists who just want to see what skin colour he has (because at the end of the day that’s why people are so interested). I hope we don’t get to see Archie for another 10 years until he’s good and ready and they’re too.

  41. bettyrose says:

    I was skeptical at first, but after reading the comments I’m starting to see the logic behind living in Santa Barbara (as many celebs and uber-wealthy do). When I lived in San Diego, also about 100 miles out of L.A., I was endlessly frustrated by how hard it is to get to LA for a short visit. Driving up after work for an evening event was out of the question. You’d never get there in time. Going up for a weekend visit was frustrating if you didn’t leave before dawn because the OC traffic starts very early. But they aren’t working 9-6 jobs, so it’s not the same, and Santa Barbara is only about a 4 hour drive to San Jose for meetings with tech investors. It actually seems like a really nice place to settle if one can afford it.

  42. SoCalVibes says:

    As a SoCal local, I have to say Santa Barbara/Montecito Area is the perfect place for them to live a quiet, private life in a beautiful, elegant community of discreet taste. It’s too far to commute to LA day in-day out but people who can afford substantial real estate up there, can probably also afford a helicopter charter and just fly over the traffic. Congratulations to the family, maybe I’ll get to see them at Santa Barbara Polo when things go back to normal.

    Edited to Add: As a Californian seeing a celebrity is no big deal, we literally see them everywhere because this is Hollywood & TV is one of the biggest industries in SoCal. If you are able to live comfortably in Santa Barbara, you are also probably either too wealthy by birth, or working too hard to have become wealthy and maintaining that, to really care about a young, married couple settling down to raise their family.

    • Snuffles says:

      Agreed. I lived in LA for 14 years. I will admit when I first got there, I spazzed at the sight of even a D-List celebrity. Eventually you get used to it. After a while it’s like “Oh, hey, there’s Kanye buying yogurt” and continuing about your business.

    • morrigan01 says:

      Native SoCal girl, born and raised. Had a parent who worked in the industry when I was growing up, so I actually was one of those kids you hear about, like Meghan, who would sometimes hang out on sets after school while their parent was working.

      When you grow up in it, you know it’s not really a glamorous life. It’s a lot of long hours, a lot of it sitting around when they have to keep resetting a scene, or change the set or redress the set. The best thing about it all is usually the catering.

      So yeah, you see actors or whomever walking down the street or shopping and yeah, it’s no big deal. Locals don’t get excited over it, may acknowledge them with a smile, if at all, and then just keep going on.

      • SoCalVibes says:

        I was also lucky to be behind the scenes in the glamour industries very early in my career and what I witnessed was shocking! If you love your children don’t let them get involved with modeling, acting, or the music business until they are at least college aged, and then be with them on set every second until they acclimate and feel empowered!

        There is a segment of people here in SoCal who are obsessed with celebrities and their proximity to them, but there is just as large or larger contingent of people who are just loving their lives in the great weather and working hard to pay the high cost of living here, and could not care less about whether a “famous person” is within selfie distance. I think there are some communities that are oriented around celebrities, and some that are oriented towards the business elite, and those are the ones that tend to be much more elegant and low-key. No surprise, that is the SoCal that I choose to live and love in.

  43. T says:

    Happy for them! Now they can official settle down

  44. OriginalLeigh says:

    Was Montecito the community in Big Little Lies? I watched that show partially for the real estate porn. I wish them lots of happiness in their new home!

  45. blunt talker says:

    Their Frogmore Cottage was outside the city limits and their Cotswold place was also outside the big city-this area fits their family perfectly-I loved this area every since watching the soap opera Santa Barbara. God bless the Sussex family and I hope they have found true happiness in their new home. I love this house.

  46. blunt talker says:

    PS-No wonder Tyler Perry laughed when Gayle King asked about Meghan and Harry living in his house-He and Gayle both knew the Sussex family had already moved. The lies of the dailymail about living in Perry”s house are just made-up bullshit to write articles and get clicks. Gayle definitely knew they had moved-they were messing with the tabs during this interview and they didn’t have any idea about the move. Bravo to Gayle and Tyler.

  47. herhighness says:

    the photo of Megan holding the baby really messed my head up! it’s like she is holding an infant Harry- gives me Benjamin Button vibes! LOL