Chateau of Riven Rock: Inside Harry and Meghan’s ‘beautiful’ California home
Duke and Duchess of Sussex ordered to evacuate Montecito estate due to flooding
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were ordered to leave their California home amid devastating floods in the state that killed at least 17 people this week.
Authorities issued an evacuation order on Monday for Montecito, Santa Barbara, with warnings of mudslides. It was lifted on Tuesday, the same day that the Duke of Sussex’s revelatory memoir Spare was released.
Harry was “not believed to be at home at the time” of the order, said LBC, as he travelled to New York for publicity interviews. It is not known whether the “Duchess was with him in New York, or at home with the couple’s two children”.
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According to Hello!, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland lives a “short distance away” and “could be an option for the Sussexes to spend some time” to escape any floods.
Where do Prince Harry and Meghan Markle live?
The royal couple opened up about their Californian living arrangements in their much-talked-about Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, released late last year.
From 2017 to 2019, the couple lived in Nottingham Cottage within the grounds of Kensington Palace in London. The 1,324 square feet (123 square metre) property was described by the prince as “really small, on a slight lean with low ceilings”.
The documentary hurled the pair back into the spotlight with revelations about the inner workings of the royal family and further accusations of bullying.
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However, the six-part Netflix series was not actually filmed in their own home in California, where they moved to in July 2020, but rather “a nine-minute drive away from where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex live with their children”, reported Marie Claire.
The Mail on Sunday reported that the series’ location, with its “sweeping vistas over the Pacific Ocean, majestic oak ceiling and impeccably designed interior”, is in fact a £27.3m mansion, addressed 888 Lilac Lane, which is currently up for sale down the road from the couple’s own estate in Montecito.
Prince Harry and Meghan officially stepped down from royal duties in 2020 amid what The New York Times described as an “extraordinary retreat”. They took up temporary residence in several cities before finally settling on California.
The Sussexes’ Montecito neighbourhood is “renowned for its secluded hillside estates that promise the utmost privacy”, said Hello! It’s “a full two hours northwest of downtown LA by car, but celebrities have flocked to the area in recent years”, said Dirt.com.
The area’s “laid-back and mostly paparazzi-free atmosphere provides a welcome retreat from the hectic hustle of Hollywood and its surrounding environs”. The celebrity real estate site reported that Ellen DeGeneres, Ariana Grande and Gwyneth Paltrow are also residents of the area.
The home of the Duke and Duchess is situated on a private road and features “a lengthy driveway and large security gates”, said Hello! It’s officially known as the Chateau of Riven Rock.
What’s the property like?
Multimillionaire software boss Terry Cunningham told The Mail on Sunday that he and his wife Randi had originally bought the 5.4 acres of land to build “the house of their dreams” in 1999, with the property completed four years later.
He described it as “a beautiful French country house”, inspired by a holiday the couple had enjoyed in the south of France. As well as being “very private”, he described it as “a wonderful place to have lots of family around”.
According to Hello!, the house has “a grand total of nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms”, as well as a library, office, spa, gym, games room, cinema, wine cellar and five-car garage. A separate guest house also has two bedrooms and bathrooms.
Cunningham said: “The kitchen is probably one of the coolest rooms in the house. It opens on to the side patio where the pizza oven and outdoor tables are. Living in Montecito, there’s a lot of indoor-outdoor lifestyle, so you easily move from decks to indoors.”
The “Mediterranean-style main house includes a trove of beige and off-white decor”, said Dirt. “Oozing sophistication”, Markle’s office “is an oasis of calm with its natural tones and rustic furniture”, said Hello!, while the living room is “decked out with modern artwork, fresh flowers, candles and organic pottery”.
The garden is “beautifully landscaped” with “tiered rose gardens, olive trees and cypress trees”, said Architectural Digest. There is a “tennis court, a swimming pool, and a chicken coop”, which featured in the couple’s “bombshell” TV interview with Winfrey, broadcast in 2021.
Archie and Lilibet can also enjoy “an adventure playground, a climbing frame, a helter-skelter, and two different climbing walls”, said Hello!. Metro reported that there is a “tea house” and a “children’s cottage” as well.
Who paid for the house?
In 2020, a source told US Weekly that Harry “could’ve asked [Prince] Charles to contribute toward the cost of the house”, but he “chose not to” go to his father, as it would “result in the royals having control over him” and would “mean going backwards”.
The couple “paid out of their own pockets” instead and “have taken out a huge mortgage”, said the source. The estate cost an “unquestionably hefty” $14.65m (£12.12m), said Dirt, and a $9.5m (£7.9m) mortgage was secured to make the purchase.
Omid Scobie, royal correspondent and co-author of Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, told Entertainment Today that the Sussexes “are extremely liquid when it comes to their assets”.
He added: “Harry brings a lot to the table himself and Meghan lives off residuals from Suits and the many appearances that she’s done in other projects too.” In the tell-all interview with Winfrey in 2021, Harry said money left to him by his late mother, Princess Diana, meant he was able to support himself financially.
US Weekly said the couple were “proud of their purchase” and saw it as “the next step toward their long future together”.
Will they stay there?
Reports first emerged in January last year that the Sussexes were thinking of selling their Californian home. A source told The Mirror: “They want to stay in the neighbourhood or nearby but they aren’t over the moon about the house and the location.”
At the end of October, similar reports appeared in the Daily Express that the couple were “looking for a new place” in Hope Ranch, a community just ten miles from their current Montecito property.
According to the Express’s Dorothy Reddin: “The family of four’s potential new neighbourhood includes not only a members-only country club and a golf club, but also tennis courts, picnic grounds, and a network of equestrian trails.”
House & Garden reported that the rumoured move was due to a “series of break-ins” at the couple’s current residence. While the two locations “offer similar advantages”, the magazine continued, “Hope Ranch, however, offers somewhat more privacy and security than Montecito”.
Julia O'Driscoll is the engagement editor. She covers UK and world news, as well as writing lifestyle and travel features. She regularly appears on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast, and hosted The Week's short-form documentary podcast, “The Overview”. Julia was previously the content and social media editor at sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, where she interviewed prominent voices in sustainable fashion and climate movements. She has a master's in liberal arts from Bristol University, and spent a year studying at Charles University in Prague.