Meghan Markle reveals cheesy Prince Harry line that helped convince her to buy Montecito home

The couple have been living in California since 2020, after stepping down from their royal duties

Meghan Markle has shared the cheesy comment from Prince Harry that helped convince her to buy the couple’s current home in Southern California.

Meghan recalled the process of moving to Montecito and finding a home there during a new interview with The Cut. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex first moved to Montecito over two years ago, after stepping down from their roles in the royal family in March 2020. They currently live 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles with their three-year-old son, Archie, and one-year-old daughter, Lilibet.

During the interview, the 41-year-old duchess noted that when she and her husband first visited their now-home, they loved it. More specifically, she recalled how she was set on getting the place after Harry noticed two massive “Dr Seussian” palm trees in the yard, and told her that they represented their relationship.

“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she explained. “See how they’re connected at the bottom? He goes, ‘My love, it’s us.’  And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, ‘Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa.’”

Meghan went on to explain that she and Harry then told their real estate agent to get the place, which they later purchased for $14.65m, before detailing how “free” she felt in her home.

“We did everything we could to get this house,” she added. “Because you walk in and go…Joy. And exhale. And calm. It’s healing. You feel free.”

Meghan also confessed how she was sceptical about touring the home at first, since she and Harry “didn’t have jobs,” at the time.

“So we just were not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible,” she said. “It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping — it’s like, ‘I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford. That doesn’t feel good.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, the royal acknowledged that while she’s stepped down from her royal duties, she knows that people still view her as a princess and said that young women have addressed her by her royal title. However, she also noted that her “happiness” and success doesn’t stem from the fact that she married a Prince.

“I just look at all of them and think, ‘You have the power within you to create a life greater than any fairy tale you’ve ever read.’ I don’t mean that in terms of ‘You could marry a prince one day.’ I mean you can find love,” Meghan explained. “You can find happiness. You can be up against what could feel like the greatest obstacle and then you can find happiness again.”