‘It’s good to be home’: Meghan Markle delivers summit interview from inside her new Santa Barbara mansion

The Duchess of Sussex has given what has been touted as the first glimpse inside her and Prince Harry’s new multimillion-dollar California estate. The Duchess of Sussex, 39, revealed a tiny glimpse of her and Prince Harry’s $US14.64 million ($A20 million) Santa Barbara home – dubbed “the Chateau” – during an interview via video link. “It’s good to be home,” Meghan told Emily Ramshaw, co-founder of The 19th*, a Texas-based non-profit online publication, from her new Mediterranean-style address. In the interview which spanned racism to women’s issues, Meghan said it was “sad and devastating” to see the United States “in such a state” of division. “The sadness is shifting to inspiration because I see the tide is turning,” she said. “It’s not new (to me) to see the undercurrent of racism and unconscious bias, but to see the changes being made is something I look forward to using my voice to promote, which I’ve not been able to do lately.” Meghan wore a £69.54 ($A127) citrus-coloured Hugo Boss top, teamed with Cartier and Monica Vinader accessories, for the occasion. ‘OBVIOUSLY VERY WEALTHY’ Meantime, it was revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan will have to work hard on the celebrity speaking market after splashing out $A20 million on a nine-bedroom mega mansion in Santa Barbara. Details of their secret purchase emerged tonight, with the couple named as the mystery buyers of a property in celebrity hotspot Montecito. The couple have saddled themselves with a $13 million mortgage on the secure three-hectare property, that boasts a pool that would be the envy of any five star resort around the world. They will never have to wait for the shower with 16 bathrooms on the property. The home also boasts a tennis court, theatre and an arcade. But the couple managed to get a relative bargain, it had been advertised for $48 million, but the owners settled for less when it sold in July amid the coronavirus downturn. Penny Junor, a royal expert who wrote a biography on Prince Harry, said the American home was “a bit flash”. “It looks a bit over the top to me,” she told News Corp Australia. “I don’t know how they are going to pay for it, have they been gifted it from the Queen? Maybe Prince Charles has bought it for him.” Property documents seen by The Sun newspaper revealed the mortgage and that the couple had put down a $7 million deposit. However they will still be on the hook for $70,000 monthly mortgage payments, based on a four per cent interest rate. Ms Junior said that the couple were piling up financial burdens, particularly when they have to also pay for their own security. “Harry is obviously a very wealthy man himself because his mother left him money and if it was invested wisely he could have the money,” she said. “They are still living this kind of lifestyle where they could go through money very, very quickly.” The home in Santa Barbara is about 90 minutes from Los Angeles and also comes with a separate guesthouse. Meghan’s mum Doria would be able to use the guesthouse when she visited from her LA home. Prince Charles, who has significant wealth through the Duchy of Cornwall, has been supporting Prince Harry after he left the royal family. However it was unclear whether he had been the bank of dad on the latest purchase. Ms Junior said that Prince Harry and Meghan needed somewhere that “fitted their status” for charity fundraisers. “Prince Charles told me once that if you live in a two-up two-down semi then no-one is going to clear their diary to come and see you for lunch,” she said. “They do need space away from the prying eyes of people and cameras.” PRINCE CHARLES ‘PAID’ FOR MANSION The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been living in their new family home for six weeks after moving from their previous base at Tyler Perry’s sprawling Los Angeles property. “Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July,” a source told the New York Post. “They are not house guests of Oprah or anyone else, they bought this home themselves. 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,” the source said. “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 royal insider claims that Prince Charles had been keen to help the couple find a new family home in America after their “Megxit” from England in January, and partly bankrolled the purchase. “Charles had been keen to help out and put his hand in his own pocket to assist,” a source said, according toThe Sun. “He is devoted to both his sons and any time he can assist them he always will.” The Santa Barbara home is America’s answer to the French riviera, about 90 minutes west of Los Angeles, and a celebrity haunt for a century. Homes in the area often go for as high as $100 million. Now the couple hope to make friends in the relative privacy of the exclusive community, where Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, George Lucas, Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt and Kirk Douglas have homes. Meanwhile the couple still owe UK taxpayers $5 million for the renovations to Frogmore Cottage, which was refitted for them after their 2018 wedding. They moved to the cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle when they split from Prince William and Kate’s charity, amid reports of tensions between the couples when they were sharing Kensington Palace in central London. After leaving the UK, and spending time in Canada, the couple stayed at Hollywood producer Tyler Perry’s Los Angeles mansion, where photographs were taken of Archie in the driveway with a drone. “Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn’t the reason they left Los Angeles,” a source told the New York Post. “They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara. “While it was a nice favour 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.” The source said that while Perry’s was initially a good base due to its proximity to Meghan’s mother, it was never a long-term plan to remain in Los Angeles. “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.” MEGHAN, HARRY PUSHED FURTHER AWAY Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s social media has been dropped from the Royal Family’s official pages. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals earlier this year to become private citizens with their son Archie. Their Sussex Royal Instagram no longer appears alongside the social media accounts of the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the official Royal Family website, The Sun reports. Fan account Gert’s Royal has also highlighted that Prince Andrew, who stepped down from royal duties last year over the links with Jeffrey Epstein, has had his link to his social media account removed. Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan Markle, 39, were forced to drop the name Sussex Royal when they stepped away from royal duties at the beginning of the year. The Queen informed them they couldn’t use the word “Royal” in their branding after they quit the Firm to become financially independent and live in North America. The Sussex Royal foundation was launched on July 1 last year, after the couple split from the foundation they shared with Prince William and Kate Middleton. Last week, it appeared the couple did their second U-turn within a week over the future name of Sussex Royal. Companies House documents confirmed that paperwork had been formally submitted on behalf of the couple to change the name of their charity to MWX Foundation. Documents giving notice of the change of name of Sussex Royal The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were first filed last Wednesday – but then withdrawn just nine minutes later. And Harry and Meghan performed yet another U-turn with paperwork formally submitted to Companies House to change the charity name to MWX Foundation today. Speculation around what the initials could stand for began last week – with guesses including the Markle Windsor Foundation or possibly the Mountbatten Windsor Foundation. The Change of Name Notice and a copy of the formal company resolution drawn up on July 1 to change the name appeared on the Companies House website last week. Even though the full details of the paperwork are not yet visible on the website, the submission of the resolution means that the Sussex Royal name has now been erased. FRIEND DROPS BOMBSHELL When Prince Harry celebrates his 36th birthday next month, it will reportedly be alongside the man he considers his new “father figure”, while no member of the royal family, including Prince Charles or Prince William, is expected to attend. Famed music producer David Foster and his wife actor Katharine McPhee are said to have become “extremely close” to the Sussexes. The party will be held at the Los Angeles home of Foster, whose wife Katharine McPhee reportedly went to the same school as Meghan Markle, reports The Sun. “David wants to make it special for Harry but also keep it casual and low-key with some fine wine, great food and intimate company,” a source reportedly told The Mirror in the UK. “He is setting aside the fire pit at his home plus the whole outdoor area, which security will cordon off. “The small gathering will also include his daughters Erin and Sara and their husbands. They are around the same age as Harry and Meghan.” Foster, who has produced superstars such as Madonna, Whitney Houston and Olivia Newton John, is said to be trying to make the famous family feel “more comfortable” in Los Angeles. Prince Harry has not seen his family since lockdown, and travel plans are challenging given the pandemic restrictions. McPhee has previously spoken about Prince Harry’s “beautiful father and son” relationship with her husband. Foster, who was once married to Yolanda Hadid, mother of Gigi and Bella, set the couple up in their $A20 million Vancouver mansion after they first left Britain and their duties as senior members of the royal family. “My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry. They’re so cute. They’re like father and son,” she told Access Hollywood. The couple relocated to Los Angeles shortly before the coronavirus lockdown began in the US in March. “David is the resource guy. He knows all the places. He loves to help people,” McPhee said. Speaking of their move to Beverly Hills, she added: “We just hope they end up somewhere where they feel like they can really settle down.” Foster has also spoken about helping the couple find a home in Vancouver. “I felt honoured that I was able to help Meghan there because I’m a Canadian and we’re a Commonwealth country,” he told the Daily Mail. “It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment. I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off. “I know that it was reinvigorating for them to spend some downtime. This is a great testament to my hometown of Victoria that they were able to go under the radar for so long.” He added that he was happy that he could facilitate the move for the couple through a friend, and he was glad they seemed to have a great rest. HARRY’S PAL ‘HAD DOUBTS’ ABOUT MEGHAN Meanwhile, one of Prince Harry’s oldest and closest friends shared his doubts about Meghan Markle when she arrived on the scene, a new book claims. According to royal biography Finding Freedom, Tom ‘Skippy’ Inskip was “punished” for giving his school pal advice. Skippy, who has been inseparable from Prince Harry ever since they met at exclusive British school, Eton, advised Harry and Meghan to live together “before doing anything more serious”. A source close to the couple told authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand that although his advice “came from a good place,” Prince Harry “didn’t totally see it that way”. According to the Sunday Telegraph, “It really hurt him (Harry) that someone he was so close to would not trust his judgment.” Prince William is also said to have told his brother to not “rush” the relationship. After sharing their reservations about Meghan, Skippy and wife Lara were said to be “punished” by not being invited to Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding party at Frogmore House. The couple’s new A-list pals Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney did secure an invite. But despite any rift, last year it was claimed that the tragic death of Lara’s mother Emma St Helens at 66 led to Skippy and Prince Harry being reunited. To commemorate her mum, Lara raised money for Heads Together – a charity partner of Prince Harry – and he donated a significant sum, pals said. A source told The Sun: “Skippy and Harry are back as tight friends. When Harry heard about Lara’s mother’s horrible passing, it really hit a nerve. “Lara has raised money to support research into mental health and Harry decided to let bygones be bygones.” Skippy was one of the friends at the infamous Las Vegas night in 2012, where the royal was caught playing naked billiards with women in a hotel suite. The banker first became friends with Prince Harry after they met at Eton, and remained close ever since. But his “tomfoolery” reportedly had no place in the world of “fruit smoothies” and “early nights” that Meghan is an advocate of, it was said. Finding Freedom, by writers described as Harry and Meghan “cheerleaders”, says Prince Harry and Prince William had first discussed Meghan after William met her a “handful of times”. The authors say: “William wanted to make sure the American actor had the right intentions.” They quote a source as saying: “After all, these are two brothers that have spent their whole lives with people trying to take advantage of them. “As William didn’t know a lot about Meghan, he wanted to make sure that Harry wasn’t blindsided by lust.” The biography says Prince William told Prince Harry: “Don’t feel you need to rush this. Take as much time as you need to get to know this girl.” The authors say the words “this girl” sent Harry into meltdown. – with The Sun