Sussexes buy home among the stars
COUPLE REPORTEDLY SPENT ABOUT US$10M
Nestled between tranquil sandy beaches and the Santa Ynez mountains, Santa Barbara has long been a magnet for wealthy celebrities intent on guarding their privacy.
So it is not hard to see why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have chosen the sun-drenched Californian city to put down their roots.
Harry and Meghan have purchased their first family home in the area and secretly moved in last month, their spokesman has confirmed. “They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbours, as well as for them as a family,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
A source said the young family was hoping to lead “as normal a life there as possible,” adding: “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.”
Santa Barbara is 160 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles, home to the Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland. It is thought that the Sussexes have chosen to live in the exclusive hilltop enclave of Montecito, where celebrity friends including Oprah Winfrey and Ellen Degeneres, and other famous figures such as Natalie Portman and Gwyneth Paltrow, have homes. Last month, before it was known they had moved, it was reported that the Duchess intended to celebrate her 39th birthday, on Aug. 4, in the area.
Montecito is described by one luxury real estate agent as “a paradise for Hollywood stars and the super rich who want to live in splendid isolation.”
Most of the sprawling, gated estates boast private pools and views of the Pacific Ocean.
Between June and July, about 30 properties were sold, for between US$715,000 and $9 million, according to a property website. One report claimed the couple spent around US$10 million.
When the Sussexes stepped away from royal duties earlier this year, Prince Charles said he would continue to offer them “private financial support.” However, contrary to reports, The Telegraph has confirmed that the couple bought the property solely with their own funds and have a mortgage.
Top private schools in the area that might one day welcome young Archie include Laguna Blanca School and Crane Country
Day School, each commanding fees of around US$30,000.
A source told the New York Post: “This is where they want to continue their lives. 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.”
When the couple arrived in the U.S. from Canada, they moved into a 12-bedroom mansion in Los Angeles.
However, they were besieged by paparazzi and are suing in California for invasion of privacy after drones were allegedly used to take pictures of their son.
Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor home gifted to them by the Queen, will remain their official U.K. base. The couple are repaying the £2.4 million (Cdn. $4.1 million) spent renovating the property at a rate of £18,000 ($31,000) a month over the next 11 years.
THIS IS THE FIRST HOME EITHER OF THEM HAS EVER OWNED.