Soon after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to Montecito in 2020, Meghan had a large chicken coop built on their property. She adopted rescue chickens and she named the coop Archie’s Chick Inn. Meghan showed Archie’s Chick Inn to Oprah Winfrey and others, and Meghan has documented her hens on her Instagram often. She and kids were always out there with the chickens, getting eggs and feeding the girls. The state of Archie’s Chick Inn concerns me, given last week’s news about the Sussex family’s move to the UK. What happens to the hens? I asked that last week on social media and my favorite answer was “private equity buyout.” Well, according to the Telegraph, the chickens are staying in Montecito.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are keeping their chickens in California as they plan to be an “international couple”. The Sussexes will bring their dogs Mia and Pula with them to Britain, but will not rehome their chickens, which live in a coop named “Archie’s Chick Inn” on their Montecito estate.
The flock includes a rescue chicken named Silkie, rehomed from their neighbour Ellen DeGeneres, a former US TV talk show host.
The birds, which appeared on the Duchess’s Netflix programme, will be looked after by household staff, along with the rest of their US home, awaiting their return.
The decision may be seen as a sign of the couple’s intention to continue spending time in California regularly. They also plan to visit their property in Portugal throughout the year.
The Sussexes are due to arrive in Britain this week ahead of Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, starting at a British school. They are planning an “extended stay” in the UK, which could turn out to be for as little as six months.
A source told The Telegraph: “The couple had a great holiday in the UK over the summer and everything has fallen in place to make this move possible now. How long will they stay? I don’t know, but it will be for an extended period. Whether that’s six months, a year, two years… who knows?”
This weekend, The Sunday Times reported that the couple would also consider moving to Australia or Canada, both Commonwealth countries, in the future.
Doria Ragland, the Duchess’s mother, will remain in California. They are planning to return regularly to visit her and the couple’s friends. It has been predicted that the family will spend school-term time in Britain and use the holidays to travel elsewhere.
I mentioned this last week, when I theorized that Britain might have another national breakdown if and when the Sussexes re-exit, or Sussexit 2.0. The fact that they’re maintaining their Montecito home and leaving their chickens to be looked after by staff… it does indicate that they’re planning on going back to California. I mean, I hope. I genuinely hope that Harry and Meghan are only pretending to have such open-ended plans, and that they’ve quietly made the decision to return to California no matter what next year, after the Birmingham Invictus Games. Those poor hens are going to miss the family!
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram, As Ever’s Instagram, Ellen Degeneres’ show and social media.
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- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge arrives for the Royal Variety Performance at the Royal Albert Hall, London, UK,Image: 643835863, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: James Shaw / Avalon
Aw I’m glad the chickens get to stay. I agree that that seems like a pretty strong indicator that they intend to move back, especially if they’re keeping “household staff” there (my guess is some type of house manager, maybe a gardener, and I imagine even a skeletal security team.)
I feel like they’re just gearing up to be a multi-international-homes wealthy family, with houses based on where they work and where they want to vacation. I’m not directly comparing them so dont @ me people lol but think of the Beckhams, with a home in Miami, a home in the Cotswolds, and I’m sure others that don’t get talked about as much. A lot of celebs have homes on St Barts or wherever and then their main home in LA or NYC. the clooneys obviously have multiple residences.
It’s just viewed differently for H&M because of the intense scrutiny and the age of the children and school. And the british press being obsessed with them haha.
and yes I know last week I was all “SOMETHING BIG IS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES” and it still might be, so don’t take away my tinfoil tiara, but rich international family has multiple homes in different countries doesn’t generate the same clicks.
My take is that these too whom so much vitriol and hate is throw at generate press about chickens! Like them or not they have huge star power and make news by breathing. The UK press is in estacy that they are returning so they can fill their columns. The more The Sussexs live there lives and maintain their silence the more desperate and hysterical they will become
She never should have quit acting – Suits was fab, and she was brilliant in it.
Tina Brown is a funny one. I first came across her in her non-royal work. I went to a talk she did on journalism a few years back and it was incredible, her insights on the industry were wonderful. Similarly I have followed the ‘truth tellers’ conference she hosts in memory of her late husband for investigative journos, and again great stuff. I hate her royal stuff, I know that’s how she stared, but her experience and career is so much better than this crap reporting. I don’t get it.
Unfortunately, Tina Brown’s writing about Meghan reveals a bigoted racist and extreme misogynist and whatever insights she has about journalism are ruined by her legacy of writing about royal women, like both Diana and meghan. And the thing about acting is for someone like Meghan, she can always go back if she wants. There was no backlash to a potential role in the gentleman, whether it was ever true or not. Arguably, it gave that production a lot of good press. People talking about backlash? I’m genuinely like where?
My guess is they moved so the kids could get to know their grandpa and they plan to move back to CA when scooter becomes king. They certainly won’t want to be within his incandescent reach and can keep doing what they are doing from back in their forever home in Montecito.
I am so perplexed by their decision to move to the UK. I genuinely feel anxious thinking about the press hounding those kids and Meg to de@th.
I read that headline and all I could picture is the Sussex’s exiting a private plane (not saying they are flying private) with the kids, two dogs and a dozen chickens just like a remake of the Beverly Hill Billy tv series.. who ever thought they would fly the chickens over is a little delusional imo. I’m sure the property care taker has it all handled and they will be happy.
Hope they don’t stay long-term, but it sounds like they are doing their version of half in and out if they keep with school in the UK and then back to CA for holidays.
To be “ half in” royals the Sussexes would have to be on the Sovereign Grant dole. But they aren’t welfare queens, they are financially independent, so that makes them fully out.
Not talking about money. I am talking about them moving away from BP, the grounds, setting up their own home, not doing “Royal” work anymore, but they do plan on focusing on their patronages. I won’t be shocked if Meghan picks up some of the charities she had to let go of when she moves. And I get people here don’t like it, but I bet they have more visits with Charles.
The patronages Meghan gave up were mainly royal ones that the Queen gave to her. The only non-royal one was Mayhew and I don’t think she’s going to take it back up. I don’t think Meghan’s going to be seen a lot in the UK overall.
Feminegra is reporting on his today: the most revealing thing about the Sussex media cycle is not simply the volume of coverage Harry and Meghan receive. It is how easily one development can generate an endless stream of new stories.
Their reported return to Britain quickly produced headlines about acting, reconciliation, Christmas, security, money, polling and royal status. Then the Telegraph found yet another angle: who would look after Harry and Meghan’s chickens while they were in the UK.
That story is almost a perfect example of the wider point. When an outlet can turn the Sussexes’ poultry arrangements into a standalone royal article, and have it appear among Google’s top stories, it becomes difficult to argue that Harry and Meghan no longer matter to the media.
All signs point towards Harry and Meghan probably only staying in the UK a year to 18 months. The fact that they’re keeping their chickens confirms that their stay in the UK won’t be permanent.
So, they’ll be in the UK more than Scooter and Kate 🤣
Can you imagine establishing a home in the UK when William is king? I imagine they have to get it done while Charles is still king. They need to be able to move back and forth without this “drama” caused mainly by KP,
BP and the press.