Fate of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Montecito Mansion Revealed After UK Move
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s UK move has left their Montecito mansion empty, but the couple may have plans for the lavish home.
After Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved back to the UK, there have been many speculations about what they would do with their Montecitio mansion. According to a recent report, the couple has no plans to give up their beloved California home just yet.
A source told Page Six that the Sussexes currently have no plans to sell or rent out their $14.5 million Montecito mansion, despite moving back to the UK last month. For now, the lavish California property will remain in the couple’s hands. “No one is moving in, there are folks still maintaining the property,” an insider told the outlet.
It’s easy to see why the Sussexes are not yet ready to let go of the Montecito property. Their 18,000-square-foot estate offers plenty of space and luxury, including a tennis court, pool, tea house, children’s cottage, rose gardens, and a separate two-bedroom guesthouse.
The nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom home also offers the kind of privacy that was important to Harry and Markle when they bought it in 2020. With the property tucked behind gates, they can maintain a private base in California even while spending more time in the UK.
However, keeping the Montecito estate could come with a hefty price tag while Harry and Markle are spending more time in Britain. Montecito estate agent David Encell told The Sun that maintaining the property could cost the couple around $40,000 (£30,000) a month, covering expenses such as the pool, housekeeping and gardening.
Encell also suggested the mansion could generate as much as $148,800 (£110,000) per month if rented out. However, he warned that renting a home of that value could leave it vulnerable to costly damage.
Page Six previously reported that the Duchess faced difficulties finding housekeepers willing to work at the Montecito mansion before their move to the UK. A source claimed that she personally interviewed potential staff and that some candidates were put off by the way she allegedly spoke to them. “She had trouble hiring maids because a lot of the housekeepers in Montecito didn’t want to work for them,” said the insider.
The insider further alleged that word of these experiences had circulated among local housekeepers: “It got to the point where people would joke that all the maids in Montecito hated them.”
