It has been rumoured that Meghan and Harry, Duchess of Sussex and Duke of Sussex, are planning to move from their current Montecito estate to Hope Ranch, California. The couple first arrived in the United States in 2020 and have spent the past two years at that residence.
According to reports, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently house hunting in a gated enclave in California.
A $14 million property in nearby Montecito “does not properly fit” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, so they may be interested in relocating to the Hope Ranch enclave.
The nine-bedroom home was “startlingly enormous,” according to a journalist who recently visited there.
According to a study in the Santa Barbara News-Press, home prices in Hope Ranch might reach as high as $22 million.
In addition to a robust equestrian culture and its 27 miles of riding paths, the neighbourhood also features a country club, golf course, and tennis court.
Although no acquisition has been confirmed, the Daily Mail quotes a News-Press article suggesting the couple may have actually purchased property there.
There’s been no word on whether or not the couple plans to look for a larger home in the future.
Whereas Montecito is frequented by A-listers like the Sussexes’ pal Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry, and Jennifer Aniston, the posh private community of Hope Ranch would provide a more tranquil setting for the upbringing of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s children, Archie and Lilibet.
The prospective move follows recent police initiatives in Montecito aimed at reducing the city’s rising crime rate.
License plate recognition cameras are being put in Montecito “in reaction to the high-value property crime we’ve encountered recently,” according to an email sent to residents.
To paraphrase the police, “these crimes are being done by highly organised thievery gangs from outside the area.”
The crime wave has reached the Sussexes, who had two break-in attempts on their home within a span of 12 days earlier this year.
They called the police about a trespasser on May 19 at 5:44 p.m., and officers from Santa Barbara responded to their mansion.
The second report of an intruder was handled by the police at 3.21 p.m. on May 31—just hours before Harry and Meghan arrived from the United Kingdom, where they had celebrated the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
There are “some concerns with professional burglars,” Craig Bonner, the undersheriff for Santa Barbara County, was quoted as saying in an online conference, according to the Sun.
When the United States government last counted its citizens, the unincorporated community of Hope Ranch counted around 2,200 people.
After Meghan and Harry retired from royal duties and decided to move across the Atlantic, they purchased their current home in June 2020.
Follow more updates and news on LondonChats.
