King Charles Takes a Page Out of Harry and Meghan’s Book With Latest Move

A new documentary shows the King embracing a surprisingly Sussex-style approach to life at Highgrove.

For all the talk about how they are worlds apart, it turns out King Charles and the Sussexes may have more in common than expected — especially when it comes to chickens. In his latest documentary, the King appears to take a page out of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s playbook, offering a glimpse into his more relaxed, quirky side that's rarely seen in public.

The similarity was portrayed in Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, a new Prime Video documentary which aired on February 6, which shows Charles pottering about the grounds of Highgrove House, his long-time Tetbury retreat. Among the many carefully tended corners of the estate is a chicken coup, with a name that caught everyone by surprise, and gave an insight into the funnier and quirkier side of the King, 'Cluckingham Palace.'

In the documentary, Charles is seen feeding the chickens and collecting eggs during his downtime, almost as if this is his daily ritual. Reportedly, his flock is made up entirely of rescue hens. In 2024, Charles rehomed the one-millionth hen rescued by the British Hen Welfare Trust, naming her Henrietta. As the BBC, the bird even arrived at Highgrove in a bespoke carrier dubbed 'Hengrove.’

Highgrove has long served as Charles’s personal sanctuary. He acquired the property in 1980 and has since transformed it into a space where environmentalism and solitude meet. 

That same affection for animals and a slower pace of life appears to have found its way across the Atlantic. Harry, now living more than 5,000 miles away in California with Markle and their two children, has embraced a remarkably similar setup. One of the most iconic moments from their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey was when the couple revealed their chicken coop at their Montecito home, a wooden structure proudly named 'Archie’s Chick Inn,' in honor of their son. The coop later made appearances in the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries. 

Speaking to Winfrey, Markle had explained the philosophy behind it all. “I just love rescuing,” she said, adding that one of the best things about their California home was the ability to live 'authentically' and return to the 'basics.' The coup also had its moment in Markle's Netflix series, 'With Love, Meghan.'

Similarly, Markle had offered another glimpse into their coop life when she shared a photo of her then two-year-old son, Archie, on The Ellen DeGeneres show. It featured the little one in bright yellow Wellington boots. Shot from behind, Archie stood inside the family’s chicken coop, watching the hens as they pecked at food laid out on a tiny picnic table, a small basket in his hand as if ready to help collect eggs. Commenting on the moment, DeGeneres, who lived near the Sussexes in Montecito, said, “He’s so sweet with the chickens, too. Archie is just such a gentle soul.”