Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Moving To L.A. For ‘Important Reason’ Revisited One Year Later

One year ago, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were still fulfilling their duties as senior members of the royal family, living in Windsor and didn’t seem as though they were making plans to exit that life. However, rumors had been circulating that the couple was looking at homes in Los Angeles—with the intent of having some sort of base there so that the Duchess’ mother could also spend time with her grandson.

In July 2019, royal expert Emily Andrews revealed that she felt the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would look into a second home in Los Angeles because of plans to expand their reach with their charitable ventures, but most importantly, to give Doria Ragland more time with their then two-month-old son, Archie Harrison.

“This project with Oprah, whilst it’s not going to be the first initiative of Sussex Royal, is a big push they are doing in the America market to try and attract donors for their new foundation, she said at the time, before adding that being close to Ragland was also a priority.

“We know Doria and Meghan are very close, Doria has been a very special and intrinsic part of Archie’s life and it would make sense if they bought someplace out in LA,” she said. “Somewhere where they could go for holidays, school holidays and Doria could stay, too.”

Of course, at the time, life in Los Angeles was not publicly on the royal couple’s radar, but in early 2020, they shocked the world by announcing they were stepping away from royal life entirely, giving up their HRH titles, and starting over as private citizens. They announced their plans in January and took up residence in Canada.

Shortly after, it was revealed the couple had relocated once again, leaving Canada behind and moving to Los Angeles after all. In May, it was reported they were staying in a £15 Million Mansion owned by Tyler Perry. The property, which features eight bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, is in a gated community called the Beverly Ridge Estate.