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Following the Sussexes’ shocking announcement that they would be leaving their roles as senior working members in the British royal family, they appeared to have their future endeavors lined up. The pair headed back to their home-away-from-home, Canada before moving to California permanently.

Unfortunately, no one could have anticipated the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and all of the chaos, death, and upheaval that it has caused. For months, the Sussexes and their young son, Archie Harrison remained in isolation in Tyler Perry’s $18 million Beverly Hills mansion.

Now, the pair have purchased their own home 100 miles away from LA in Santa Barbara. Reports suggest that this location was very deliberate.

Prince Harry hasn’t found his place in America

Prince Harry had reportedly been increasingly unhappy in the British royal family for years. Though he’d always been close to his brother, Prince Willliam, the older prince’s path toward the throne began to form a wedge between the brothers.

After watching the unfair treatment that Meghan endured in the royal fold at the hands of the press and the public, Prince Harry decided that enough was enough, Unfortunately, LA hasn’t exactly lived up to all of his expectations. In fact, many people believe the prince feels in LA how Meghan felt in the U.K. Royal expert Katie Nicholl told Vanity Fair, 

Harry has a lot of friends in the military community in the UK and of course he misses them. This is a very strange time for us all, but I think Harry is missing having a structure to his life right now. He doesn’t have friends in L.A. like Meghan and he doesn’t have a job. So at the moment, he’s a bit rudderless, but it won’t always be like this, and he knows that.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry just purchased a $14.7 million in Santa Barbara

Still, it looks like the couple is moving forward with their plans to set up roots in California. The duo has just purchased their first home together, a 19,000 square foot house in Santa Barbara, 100 miles away from LA.

The massive home includes nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms as well as a guest house, a tea house, a children’s cottage, a full-size tennis court, a lap-lane swimming pool, and an elaborate built-in children’s playset. For safety, the property is tucked behind a private, gated street.

The area is home to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, and Ellen DeGeneres. However, there is another reason why the Sussexes chose to be so far from LA.

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The Sussexes moved to Santa Barbara because Prince Harry hated LA

After spending several months in the heart of LA, Prince Harry could just not see his future there. Meghan reportedly convinced him to visit Montecito in Santa Barbara. A source told Us Weekly,

Meghan visited Montecito in her teens and fell in love with the picturesque scenery and stunning architecture. Moving there was always an option, but to begin with, she and Harry wanted to give Los Angeles a shot. Unfortunately, Harry absolutely hated it—the timing was so wrong amid the [coronavirus] pandemic and they lacked privacy.

Thankfully, Montecito was a happy medium for the pair. “An added bonus is that Montecito is only just over an hour’s drive from L.A., which is where a majority of their work is based, yet far enough away to escape the crowds, paparazzi, and tourism in Hollywood,” the insider added.

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