Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have secured a secret home in Britain following their announcement that they are returning to the UK later this month.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning for an extended period, with their children Archie and Lilibet set to enrol at a British school.
The family will move into a non-royal residence and will not act as working royals. The Duke and Duchess no longer require accommodation for their patronages, as the whole family is believed to be returning within the next two weeks.
While the couple plan to retain their £11 million home in Montecito, California, and their residence in Portugal, it is not yet known whether their UK move will be permanent. The exact location of their secured property has been kept tightly under wraps for security reasons.
Previous British residences
Before departing to the United States in a shock move dubbed Megxit, the couple lived in Frogmore Cottage in 2020. Despite living there for less than a year, the Sussexes spent £2.4 million on renovations and interior decor inside the Grade II listed building.
The home was filled with furniture from luxury brand Soho Home, while ceiling beams and floor joists were replaced. The property's electrical system was rewired, new gas and water mains were installed, and £50,000 worth of soundproofing was fitted to reduce noise pollution.
Soho House club designer Vicky Charles, a close friend of David and Victoria Beckham and George and Amal Clooney, was enlisted to help decorate the property with vegan paint. The pair also joined two pre-existing semi-detached houses into one large family home after the late Queen Elizabeth II gave them the property as a wedding gift.
The future of the Grade II listed property is currently under consideration, with separating the building back into two residences being assessed for viability. Insiders claim construction has not yet begun and that any work would represent a major and expensive renovation.
In January 2020, the couple stepped down as working members of the royal family and moved to Montecito, California, where they lived until now with their children. Six months later, Harry paid back the £2.4 million renovation costs, before being officially evicted by King Charles in 2023, weeks after publishing his memoir Spare.
Leased farmhouse in the Cotswolds
Frogmore Cottage was not the only UK residence the couple shared before moving across the Atlantic. Following their wedding in 2018, the couple signed a two-year lease on a £4.12 million Cotswolds property nestled near Chipping Norton.
The four-bedroom farmhouse, named Westfield Large and situated on the Great Tew Estate, featured a converted barn as well as another two-bedroom cottage. The property included four acres of land and a heated patio, House and Garden reported.
Early days at Nottingham Cottage
During their engagement in November 2017, the Suits actress moved to be with Harry at Nottingham Cottage after filming wrapped on her television series. A source told UsWeekly at the time:
"With Suits over, so is Meghan's life in Toronto. It's the end of a really precious era, so she's definitely sad to see it come to an end, but she's also really excited about starting a new chapter with Harry."
The 17th-century residence within Kensington Palace was not as glamorous as many assumed, Meghan previously shared. The kitchen in the Duke's two-bedroom flat had black-and-white tiles, alongside a dining room and a small living room, totaling around 1,300 square feet in size.
In their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess said:
"Kensington Palace sounds very regal, of course it does. It says 'palace' in the name. But it was so small."
Harry added:
"The whole thing's on a slight lean, really low ceilings. I don't know who was there before; they must have been very short."
