As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue their house hunting in the U.K., fans and foes are following updates about where they might land.
Speculation continues to swirl about where in the Cotswolds they could buy a house, how many millions they might spend and which private prep school their children, Archie and Lilibet, are enrolled in.
Spanning 800-square miles and consisting of five counties — Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire — the Cotswolds is known for its rolling hills, golden stone, gardens and storybook towns and villages.
The area is familiar territory to the couple, who leased a four-bedroom farmhouse that included a two-bedroom cottage and converted farmhouse near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire in May 2018. And growing up, Harry spent many weekends at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.
The Cotswolds have long been a retreat for designers, photographers, models and fashion types like former Barneys New York fashion director Amanda Brooks, who relocated to Oxfordshire more than a decade ago and runs the country chic boutique Cutter Brooks. Lulu Guinness, Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer are among the second home owners. Moss has a 10-bedroom manse in Little Farington near West Oxfordshire. Instead of high fashion and high heels, waxed Barbour jackets, jeans, Birkenstocks and Blundstones are the unofficial uniform.
“Watching Harry and Meghan search for a house is like watching HGTV or browsing listings on Zillow,” said Benjamin J. Keys, professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “House-hunting a perfect fit with royal-watching, because following the royal family is always aspirational. It gives many people an outlet for their dream home.”
The new Club by Bamford in the Cotswolds.
Courtesy
Along with privacy, Prince Harry and Markle are reportedly scouting around for a nine-bedroom property with a film studio set on acres upon acres of land.
The former “Suits” actress routinely posts videos related to her As Ever lifestyle brand. Just as filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry set the couple up with his $18 million California mansion, when they gave up the royal life six years ago, the couple are reportedly staying temporarily in a home owned by billionaire hedge fund manager Ian Wace. This summer, the Sussexes reportedly visited the 800-acre private island Tanera Mòr that Wace purchased in 2017 and invested $135 million in.
Saffron Aldridge
Tim Jenkins
Media requests to Tanera Mòr and Marshall Wace, the London-based hedge fund that Wace cofounded were unreturned.
Harvey Holland, the luxury estate agency in the Cotswolds, has “certainly had an increase in inquiries and conversations,” since the news of the Sussexes’ return broke, according to managing director Emma Brooks. “The Cotswolds has had a very high profile for years, so Harry and Meghan haven’t suddenly put it on the map. What their story does demonstrate, however, is how attractive the area has become internationally.”
Insiders said there is a very British attitude to celebrity here — you might know someone famous is sitting in the pub, but you generally carry on with your Sunday lunch.
Amid the increased interest in the area, “Revenge: Harry, Meghan and the War Between the Windsors” author Tom Bower suggested some are tuned into their search for other reasons.
“Their home is a political statement of intent. Their presence in Britain is the beginning of a crisis, badly managed by the King [Charles III]. And there is no easy solution imaginable without real damage to the monarchy,” Bower said.
Britons are “anxious to know not only where the Sussexes will live, but why they have returned to Britain,” he added. Where they live will dictate whether they live private or faux royal lives and “whether they intend to pose a challenge and problems to the Royal Family,” Bower said.
Should they choose to live in a country mansion, then they will “probably seek to pretend they are working royals,” the “Revenge” author said. Whereas, a modest Cotswold cottage would signal their intention “to remain private and quiet.” Bower is banking on the pair to choose something “resembling grandeur so that they can push their campaign to be recognized as royals, and defeat William and Kate.”
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales during The Royal Charity Polo Cup 2026 Guards Polo Club on July 10 in Egham, England.
Getty Images
The latest YouGov public opinion poll of Harry gives him a 27 percent popularity ranking and Markle an 18 percent rating, while Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and the future king, Prince William, have rankings of 65 percent and 71 percent respectively.
The brothers’ relationship frosted over a few years ago, reportedly due to Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir “Spare,” and his and Markle’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Noting how a house represents stability and community, Keys said, that “many are interested in Harry and Meghan finding both of those things going forward.”
With a house in the Cotswolds, photographer Ali Allen flagged the lively creative community that consists of painters, ceramicists, interior designers, sculptors like Sophie Ryder, and fashion designers like Lulu Guinness, as well as the wallpaper specialist Lewis & Wood. And artist Dan Chadwick, owner of The Woolpack Inn and the bistro Juliet in Stroud. Along with that connection to the arts, the simple lifestyle, and natural beauty, walking in the woods without seeing a soul might be a draw for the former royals, Allen said.
The proximity to London — 70 minutes from Kemble station — might heighten the appeal, according to Allen, who added “not that they take the train.”
