Why Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are 'eyeing up a major move' - despite buying LA home just 2 years ago

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly looking to relocate to a more exclusive area of Santa Barbara.

Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle during an official photocall to announce their engagement at The Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace on November 27, 2017 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images / Chris Jackson)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been tipped for a major house move, with reports hinting that the pair want to relocate to a more private community.


Following their brief return to the UK, Prince Harry and Meghan are said to be eyeing up a new home, in a more private location - after two years of living in their Montecito pad.

Since stepping down as senior royals, the couple have been living in a $14 million mansion in Montecito, Santa Barbara, where they have been raising their two children Archie and Lilibet. The home, which has been the backdrop of a number of video appearances features nine bedrooms and 18,000 acres of land - some of which is dedicated to keeping Archie's chickens.

Now, however, Harry and Meghan could be set to relocate to ‘Hope Ranch’, a more private, coastal suburb in Montecito. Citing a News-Press, the Daily Mail reports that their current home, ‘does not properly accommodate them.’ 

According to the Santa Barbara News-Press, homes in Hope Ranch can go for up to $22 million, with the community boasting facilities like gold courses and riding trails.

There are a number of factors that could be contributing to the family’s potential move. Meghan herself revealed in her interview with The Cut, that they weren’t feeling quite at home in their mansion, as it was ‘startingly big.’

The area of Montecito has also become a target for crime, with the Duke and Duchess themselves experiencing two intruders on their property this year. The second of which occurred just hours before the couple arrived back from their trip to the UK, for the Queen’s platinum Jubilee.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex departing St. Paul's Cathedral after the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022

(Image credit: Getty Images / Neil Mockford/GC Images)

The Sun has reported that the Montecito Association has told residents that license-plates recognition cameras were being installed “in response to the high-value property crime we've experienced recently.” 

The crimes are said to be being perpetrated by, ‘sophisticated out-of-the-area theft gangs.’

Naomi Jamieson
Lifestyle News Writer

Naomi is a Lifestyle News Writer with the Lifestyle team and has recently earned her Gold Standard Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ. She has a background in design, having studied Illustration at Plymouth University but has taken a leap into the world of journalism after always having a passion for writing. She currently writes pieces on beauty, fashion, and entertainment for Goodto.com and My Imperfect Life.