Less than a week after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to Britain, reports suggest the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are already thinking big when it comes to where they might live.
The couple are reportedly searching for a home in the Cotswolds, the picturesque countryside region west of London, and potential neighbors are already talking. “The neighborhood WhatsApp group is working overtime, and the conversations between the shelves at the deli are buzzing too,” one local resident said.
Harry and Meghan have not signed a deal on a new property. According to people familiar with their situation, they are currently staying at a wealthy friend’s home on the outskirts of the Cotswolds. “They’re staying there now, in one of his empty houses, indefinitely,” one source said.
Reports have linked the couple to a lavish property priced at around 12 million pounds, but three separate sources said they have not reached that stage. Journalist Alison Boshoff said there are several possibilities under consideration “because there are so many properties on the market right now.”
What does appear clear is that the Sussexes are looking at homes at the very top end of the market. Friends in California have reportedly questioned whether the scale of the purchase could force them to sell their Montecito home. “They’ll have to sell the Montecito house,” one U.S.-based source said after being shown details of a property the couple were said to be considering.
After hearing the asking price and seeing the size of the estate, the source reportedly responded: “What?! That can’t be!”
Other friends, however, insist Harry and Meghan intend to keep their Montecito estate, valued at around 11.1 million pounds, and use it during school vacations. They are also reportedly planning to retain their vacation property in Portugal, valued at around 6.3 million pounds.
Friends say the couple currently expect to spend Christmas in California rather than with Harry’s family in Britain.
(Photo: Gettyimages)
So what exactly are Harry and Meghan looking for? According to reports, Meghan wants a home with nine bedrooms and a film studio, while Harry is focused on privacy and space.
His preference is said to be for a large estate without public footpaths crossing or running alongside the property. “They’re going all in when it comes to the British dream,” one source said.
The idea of starting over in Britain comes with an obvious irony. When the couple left royal life and moved to California, their decision was presented as an opportunity to build a new life away from the pressures of the monarchy, a story later chronicled in Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie.
At the time, California was supposed to be the place where they would thrive rather than merely survive. Now, friends describe the couple as embracing a different vision. “They have a dream of life in the English countryside,” one source said. “This will be the first time Harry has lived in Britain as a private citizen, where nobody can demand access to him.”
The source contrasted that with Harry’s previous life at Frogmore Cottage while he was still a working member of the royal family. “This will be very different from when he was an active royal and lived at Frogmore Cottage,” the source said. “Back then, ultimately, the state was funding the roof over his head. Now he’ll have the chance to enjoy all the things he loves about this country, but as a private citizen. There will be more freedom. It’s almost like finding freedom all over again.”
Harry and Meghan with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
(Photo: Instagram)
Despite the speculation, the couple reportedly have not yet toured any of the properties they are considering. “There’s an agent involved in the process, but they haven’t viewed anything yet, so they haven’t bought anything,” another source said.
“Looking at properties online is all very well, but the houses they’re considering are so large that you really have to go inside them. It’s also a huge commitment. I know they have quite a few requirements.”
The source said a property of that scale cannot be judged from photographs alone. “When you’re talking about a house of the size they’re looking for, you don’t know until you walk through it,” the source said.
“Is this the house where they want to raise their children? Is this the cozy room where they’ll turn on the heater and watch a movie? Is this the kitchen where they’ll cook meals during the next 10 formative years of their children’s lives?”
The couple are expected to begin viewing properties in person in the coming weeks.
Their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are also central to the decision. According to people close to the couple, academic prestige is not their only concern when choosing schools. “It’s not about the academic side of Britain,” one source said. “In fact, the local school here ranks quite low, but a supportive and nurturing atmosphere ranks very high.”
The couple are reportedly prioritizing schools with a strong emphasis on nature, sport and community. “They want to put them into a kind of small, safe countryside world so they can have as normal a childhood as possible.”
Friends believe Harry’s own childhood experience may be influencing that thinking. Harry attended Ludgrove School, a private preparatory school in Berkshire, where he and Prince William were reportedly treated much like other pupils.
One source described Harry’s years there as among the happiest of his life before the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. “Being at Ludgrove was a source of comfort for him during difficult periods,” the source said. “That’s what Harry and Meghan are looking for for their children, a sense of community.”
Meghan, meanwhile, is reportedly still adjusting to some aspects of British school life. “Right now, Meghan is a little shocked that there is school on Saturdays,” one source said. “But other than that, she’s looking forward to it. They both believe this is the best decision for the family.”
(Photo: Martin Meissner/AP)
The couple’s return also raises questions about how they intend to balance private life in Britain with their commercial ventures.
Friends say neither Harry nor Meghan is expected to pursue significant commercial activity in Britain in the coming years. That could allow them to remain broadly within the boundaries established when they stepped back as working royals, under which they were free to earn money provided they did not present themselves as active members of the Royal Family.
Harry is expected to take on additional roles with charities, particularly organizations connected to the military. “The expectation at this stage is that Prince Harry will take on several more patronages, probably related to military causes,” one royal commentator said. “However, he will not take on commercial deals in Britain.”
Meghan, meanwhile, is expected to continue developing her lifestyle brand, As Ever. Friends say any material she films in Britain would be intended for her U.S.-focused operation.
As Ever does not currently ship to Britain, and there are reportedly no plans to change that. One source nevertheless believes Meghan could eventually bring some of her content production into the couple’s future British home.
“Meghan won’t be able to resist building a film studio in their new house, once they buy it,” the source said, predicting that she could eventually create home and lifestyle content in Britain. For now, that remains speculation.
The Sussexes appear to be trying to draw a narrow line: living in Britain as private citizens while keeping much of their celebrity and commercial life focused on the United States. Friends also continue to insist that the move should not be interpreted as an attempt to return to life as working royals.
Whether that balance can hold may become clearer only after they choose a house, a school and, perhaps most importantly, how much of their new British life they are willing to make public.