Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ‘to leave £11m nine-bed Montecito mansion and move to LA’
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry reportedly want to move closer to Hollywood, as sources claim they're planning on ditching their Montecito mansion.
According to TMZ, the Royal duo are considering a move to LA after previously house-hunting in Malibu, California.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were previously said to be keen to snap up a £6.3 million ($8 million) plot of land in the sunny area of Malibu, which came with a huge mansion, a pool, guard house, seating terrace and fire-pit.
However, it looks as if the lavish project has been put on a pause, as it was recently announced that Meghan, 42, and Harry, 39, are now taking interest in different properties around the posh LA neighbourhood.
The source, TMZ reported, added that the two haven't toured any houses as of yet, as the search for the perfect spot still continues.
Meghan and Harry currently live in a home up the coast in Montecito, with their two kids, Prince Archie, four, and his toddler sister, Princess Lilibet, two.
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The move to LA makes perfect sense, as the couple have been attending a never-ending stream of events in Hollywood - and if they decide to settle on the mega mansion, they could become neighbours to a number of celebs, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Paris Hilton and Ellen Degeneres.
Another reason the duo were considering making LA their new home was the issue of privacy, as well as community - both of which are at the top of the list for Meghan and her hubby.
However, after the duo potentially moving to Malibu hit the news all over the world, the lavish multi-million property became a magnet for paparazzi and news coverage - which, in turn, created safety concerns for the Royal couple and ultimately steered them away.
TMZ claimed that the Sussexes have talked about selling the £12m Montecito mansion they purchased in June 2020.
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The sprawling nine-bed, 16-bath home in Santa Barbara County sits on 5.4 acres of land and boasts a library, office, spa, gym, game room, wine cellar and five-car garage, it's been said.
The estate also feartures sweeping lawns, tiered rose gardens, tall Italian cypress trees, blooming lavender, olive trees, a tennis court, tea house, children's cottage and a pool.
But the neighbours in the area have allegedly complained of their presence.
According to TMZ, the fellow residents of the neighbourhood are said to upset by the swarms of paparazzi photographers and helicopters flying over.
"Most locals" have even gone as far as claiming that their “mere presence is driving folks wild” as a result, the site reported.
It is said that for the most part complaints centre around concerns that "everyone's privacy is being compromised" as a result of Harry and Meghan's presence.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry first met in 2016 and tied the knot in a jaw-dropping ceremony two years later.
However, in January 2020, the couple stepped doen as senior royals and started a new life in California, a move that was soon dubbed Megxit.
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After leaving the UK, the two signed media deals with Spotify, as well as Netflix - however, one of their projects, animated series Pearl, was dumped by the streaming giant.
The duo have since remained critical of the Royal Family.