Harry has been living like an unsustainably wealthy man since leaving the British royal family. Is his $21 million California mansion worth the trade-off?

He may have grown up in one of the world’s most famous Palaces, but since exiting the British Royal Family, it seems Prince Harry hasn’t had to compromise too much on the quality of his home.

After leaving Britain and their darling Frogmore Cottage behind in 2020, the Prince and his wife, Meghan Markle moved into the exclusive suburb of Montecito on California’s Central Coast. With residents including Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, the area is notoriously exclusive. Accordingly, it’s of little surprise that the couple reportedly paid US$14.6 million (approximately $21 million) for a nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom pad in the area.

18,000-square-foot home is truly fit for a (retired) Prince, with rose gardens, a swimming pool, a chicken coop and a tennis court featuring on its sprawling grounds. According to the listing, there is also a two-bedroom guest house, as well as an external tea house, which overlooks a pond. Inside, there is an office, library, cellar, sauna and a gym for the couple to utilise.

In a win for their young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the 2020 listing for the house also notes that there is an arcade room. Early listing photographs also show a children’s bedroom decorated in a cute, pink, princess theme, complete with a castle-style bed – how fitting!

When Harry and Meghan purchased the home, many of the bedrooms had wooden beams adorning their rooves, and floor-sweeping curtains decorated the large windows throughout. Unfortunately, we haven’t had a glimpse into how the couple have decorated the space since the moved in, although, their (in)famous 2022 docuseries might give us some hints. Notably, the Netflix doco wasn’t actually filmed at the couple’s residence. Instead, Meghan and Harry reportedly opted to shoot at a six-bedroom property nearby, which was decorated in the Duchess’ signature, minimalist style.

Luckily for the nosy among us, realter listings from 2020 are still available online, offering us a peek inside the mansion pre-renovation. See the royally good photos below.
Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com
Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com
Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com

Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com
Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com
Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com
Courtesy of santabarbarasluxuryhomes.com