Meghan Markle and Prince Harry rumoured to be selling their California mansion
Rumours have emerged that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be attempting to offload their regal home in Montecito, California, and purchase another in the area.
The couple purchased the home just 18 months ago for $USD 14.65 million, and several months after images emerged of the home from a previous listing.
While some may wonder whether there was something wrong with their nine-bedroom, 16-bath Mediterranean mansion, real estate agent Jill Nelsen of The Agency in Montecito and Santa Barbara has shot those claims down.
“To be clear, there is absolutely nothing ‘wrong’ with the lovely estate Harry and Meghan purchased,” she said.
“It’s located within a beautiful, hedged, and stonewalled enclave in the heart of Montecito. Like many properties in town, most buyers would choose to update the interiors with new finishes and technology, as the couple has reportedly chosen to do.”
Instead, many royal fans believe the area may not be quite private enough for them.
Though their property is gated, the community it is located in isn’t, meaning that they could be followed right up to their home.
Information obtained by the British PA news agency under the Freedom of Information laws has found that police were called to the Sussexes residences nine times over nine months, as reported by Realtor.com.
These included two incidents on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day in 2020, when a trespasser identified as Nikolas Brooks drove 3700 kilometres from Ohio to pay the couple an unwanted visit. He was arrested during his second attempted visit.
“This must be terribly disconcerting for Harry, who grew up in the royal family in a very controlled environment,” said Peter Lorimer, the vice president of Corcoran Global Living, Beverly Hills, and a former London resident.
“Living in a home of that size, an intruder could enter and be undetected for some time.”
As for where the couple may move to next, Lorimer suspects they won’t have any trouble finding a new place to call home and that they may have access to properties that aren’t for sale to the general public.
“I imagine people who might not have thought seriously about selling might entertain the thought and open their homes in hopes that the prince will come for tea,” he said, laughing.
Image: @archewell_hm (Instagram) / Zillow