Harry and Meghan buy '£11m Santa Barbara home'
13 August 2020, 15:47
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have bought a property in the celebrity hotspot of Santa Barbara for a reported £11 million.
Meghan and Harry had been house hunting for some time after relocating to the US from Canada just before the coronavirus lockdown.
They are understood to have settled on the coastal city in California where stars like Oprah Winfrey and singer Ariana Grande live, and a host of famous names like actors Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres have been past residents.
The home is said to have nine bedrooms, a games room, home theatre, spa facilities, an elevator, gym and a swimming pool.
A spokesman for the couple said: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year.
"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."
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It is understood the Prince of Wales did not help in purchasing the property which reportedly cost 14.65 million US dollars (£11.1 million)
According to reports, the estate was bought by a company that apparently matched limited liability companies created by Harry and Meghan.
Alongside the 14,500-square-foot main house there is a two-bedroom guesthouse and tennis court on the seven-acre site.
Harry and Meghan plunged the royal family into a period of crisis when they announced earlier in the year they wanted to step back from their positions as senior royals and become financially independent.
A summit of senior royals was convened by the Queen at Sandringham to discuss the issue, with Harry sitting down for talks with his grandmother, father the Prince of Wales and brother the Duke of Cambridge.
It was later announced they would no longer be working members of the monarchy, split their time between Canada and the UK, with the majority spent in North America, and no longer be known as HRH.
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The revelation comes after the Sussexes launched legal action in Los Angeles after drones were allegedly used to take pictures of their 14-month-old son Archie.
A complaint filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Thursday claims an unnamed individual photographed Archie at their home during lockdown.
The lawsuit alleges the couple have been hounded across North America by paparazzi and targeted with incessant intrusions into their private life.
Harry and Meghan - who departed the Royal Family in March, saying they wanted a more private life - "seek no special treatment whatsoever" and only want the right to privacy, the lawsuit says.
The couple say they have "done everything in their power to stay out of the limelight" except in relation to their work, which they accept is newsworthy.
The lawsuit is the latest example of the couple's war against what they describe as an intrusive tabloid media.
Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, over articles which featured parts of a "private and confidential" letter from the duchess to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
