Did Charles pay for Harry and Meghan's $10M Santa Barbara home as they struggle to repay $2.9M renovation bill?
Harry and Meghan Markle have come under fire after it was reported that they bought a secret Santa Barbara house spending around $10 million while the couple is still paying off the taxpayer's money they took for Frogmore Cottage's renovations before Megxit. It seems like Prince Charles himself had provided the funds.
We previously reported that a source told Page Six that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are staying in an upscale community in Santa Barbara, which is home to the likes of Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres after they ditched Hollywood tycoon Tyler Perry's $18 million, 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion in Beverly Hills, where they were temporarily staying for months following their move to the United States.
"They are not houseguests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves," the source told Page Six. "This is where they want to continue their lives after leaving the UK. 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."
A spokesperson for the couple also confirmed that they have moved to the new home. "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,'' the source said.
However, the couple's decision to buy an expensive home was questioned by many after they previously agreed to pay £18,000 ($23,500) a month to repay £2.4 million ($2.9 million) of public funds used to refurbish and renovate their previous Frogmore Cottage residence. Royal expert Ingrid Seward told Daily Mail that he did not blame people for blaming the formerly royal pair for spending so much on their new abode. ''I think at this moment...when Meghan and Harry do anything to do with money, it isn't going to be looked at very favorably," she said. "People will not like what they do when it involves a lot of money."
Although unconfirmed, there are reports that Harry's father helped pay for the Santa Barbara mansion that they are currently staying in. "Charles had been keen to help out and put his hand in his own pocket to assist," a source said. "He is devoted to both his sons and any time he can assist them he always will." So far, the Clarence House has declined to comment.
While the couple's present combined net worth is not known, their wealth had been estimated to be worth around £33 million ($43 million) at the peak of their careers. Hence, it is not known whether the couple actually needs the money that Charles reportedly paid to buy them the house or was it a gift from the Prince of Wales.
Back in March, it was reported that Harry and Meghan could only afford to start clearing their $2.9 million Frogmore Cottage debt after Prince Charles revealed he would pay for their security costs in the US. However, soon after, friends of the couple shut down any claims that suggested Charles will be footing the Duke and Duchess' security bill while they stayed at the Beverly Hills mansion.