“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year. They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as for them as a family.”

Wow! This is a major move!!

As you’re likely aware, the pair spent the pre-pandemic part of 2020 in Canada following the bombshell announcement that they would be stepping down from their roles as working senior royals. This was all before they headed to Meg’s hometown of El Lay for a few months, where they stayed in Tyler Perry‘s mansion. While the timing of it all was definitely strange given the coronavirus crisis, they seemed to make the most of it, only leaving their temporary home to volunteer with various charities.

It was never set in stone that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be settling in permanently in Los Angeles. Plus, the picturesque town of Santa Barbara sounds like it would be a better fit for them, especially when you take into account that they already filed a privacy lawsuit in LA over photos taken of their son Archie!

Pal Oprah Winfrey, who was originally the one to connect Meg and Harry with Mr. Perry, lives on a sprawling estate in Montecito, California, located within Santa Barbara County. An insider shared more (below) on the move with Page Six:

“Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July. They are not houseguests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves. This is where they want to continue their lives after leaving the UK.”

It will definitely be a much quieter life when life resumes to “normal,” but it sounds like that’s what they wanted! The source added:

“This is the first home either of them has ever owned. It has been a very special time for them as a couple and as a family — to have complete privacy for six weeks since they moved in. They intend to put down their roots in this house and the quiet community, which has considerable privacy. This is where they want to bring Archie up, where they hope he can have as normal a life as possible.”

Obviously, their 15-month-old’s upbringing is the main priority here, but staying close to the Duchess’ momma Doria Ragland was also important since she’s just a short drive up the coast:

“Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home. It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the US to be close to Meghan’s mom [who lives in LA]. They have thought about this carefully and researched it well. This is the place where they plan to be happy, make good friends and bring up Archie, giving him the chance to play with other children his age.”

It’s unclear how this will affect any work opportunities down the line, including their own endeavor Archewell, but one thing that seems clear is that the couple was looking to downsize even further and remove themselves from the spotlight, says the source:

“Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn’t the reason they left Los Angeles. They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara. While it was a nice favor to them at a very difficult time, Tyler Perry’s house with 18 bedrooms isn’t Harry’s style. Yes, he grew up in royalty and the halls of Buckingham Palace, but he prefers more intimate homes with character.”

Cheers to your new home, Meg and Harry!!

[Image via WENN.]