Prince Harry and Meghan Markle now share the most incredible $29 million Montecito mansion, but the Duke of Sussex's houses haven't always been quite so glamorous.
Before he started dating the former actress, the younger brother of Prince William lived in a more modest two-bedroom home, known as Nottingham Cottage, which the British royal affectionately shortened to 'Nott Cott'.
In his tell-all memoir Spare, released in 2023, Prince Harry revealed how he had been nervous to take his now-wife to the cottage, as it might not have met her expectations.
He wrote: "I was excited to welcome Meg to my home, but also embarrassed. Nott Cott was no palace. Nott Cott was palace adjacent – that was the best you could say for it."
Prince Harry described watching Meghan walk up the garden path to the house, feeling relief that she "gave no indication of disillusionment", which changed the moment that she stepped inside.
The 40-year-old called his old ceilings "dolls' house low" and added: "Then she said something about the frat house".
The Duchess of Sussex appeared to be especially surprised at Prince Harry's beanbag chair matching his brown sofa.
After she moved in, the couple purchased some new furniture, including a new set of lights and a second-hand settee.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Montecito mansion
Since choosing a quieter life on the other side of the Atlantic, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have settled down in their Montecito home, which now has an estimated value of $29 million.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe pair settled down in Santa Barbara in 2020, on a private road with a long driveway and enormous security gates. The area is a hotspot for A-listers such as Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Jennifer Aniston and Orlando Bloom.
Speaking to The Cut, the mother-of-two revealed that she and her husband immediately loved the house: "We did everything we could to get this house. Because you walk in and go… Joy. And exhale. And calm. It's healing. You feel free."
Though they purchased the property for $14.65 million, according to a report from TMZ, a newer estimate has doubled in value, with the home's worth skyrocketing to $29 million.
