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Known for its luxurious estates and celebrity residents, Montecito, California is where Prince Harry lives with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Archie and Lilibet. The Duke of Sussex has called the affluent neighborhood home since 2020, but now, he’s taking a major step to make his move to the United States more permanent.
According to paperwork obtained by People, Prince Harry has officially changed his country of residence from the United Kingdom to the United States. The 39-year-old royal reportedly made the switch in a notice filed with the U.K.’s Companies House in connection to Travalyst, his environmental tourism initiative. The date of change officially listed on the document was June 6, 2023, though the Duke of Sussex had been living in the U.S. since the summer of 2020 following his royal exit with his wife, Meghan Markle.
The couple purchased their Montecito home for $14.65 million. “We were looking in this area and this house kept popping up online in searches,” Meghan told The Cut in a 2022 cover story. “We didn’t have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible. It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping—it’s like, I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford. That doesn’t feel good.”
However, the couple ultimately fell in love with the property and caved to the purchase. “We did everything we could to get this house,” Meghan added at the time. “Because you walk in and go …Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”
Since purchasing their home, the couple—who were already parents to their son, Prince Archie—welcomed their baby girl, Princess Lilibet, in June 2021. It appears that the pair have continued to raise their children on the property, despite headlines claiming that they were planning to sell the home in 2023.
Previously, Meghan and Harry lived at Frogmore Cottage in the U.K. before their son Archie was born in 2019. The Sussexes officially “vacated” the residence in Windsor in March 2023, five months after a spokesperson for the couple’s Archewell Foundation confirmed that they had been asked to leave the residence. “We can confirm The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage,” the spokesperson said in March 2023, meaning that Prince Harry’s official switch in residency came not long after they formally left their former residence.
Image: Courtesy of Dey Street Books.
For more about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s time in the British royal family, read Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand’s New York Times bestseller, Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family. The book tells all on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship, from how they met to their wedding to the birth of their son, Archie. Finding Freedom also dives into the “true story” of why Harry and Meghan left the royals at the end of 2019 and moved to the United States amid their secret drama with their family. Consisting of interviews and accounts with Harry and Meghan’s closest confidants, Finding Freedom is a must-read for any royal follower.
