ROYAL RETREAT
Inside Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet’s fairy tale cottage at Harry and Meghan’s £11m mansion
But it's nothing compared to their great-gran's play house
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry now live in a £11million mansion in Montecito, California, and have given fans a sneak peek inside during their Netflix documentary.
While the nine-bedroom pad has plenty of lavish perks - including tennis courts and a swimming pool - there is a special feature nestled in the ground for Archie and Lilibet too.
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The young prince and princess have their own fairy tale cottage in the garden, which is a lookalike of one the late Queen loved as a child.
Royal fans were able to see behind closed doors at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s house in their Harry & Meghan docu-series.
The couple - who left royal duties in 2020 - gave interviews from their very stylish living room, and we’ve also seen their glamorous office too.
But the highlight of the tranquil property is the outdoor space.
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Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet can take advantage of the sprawling garden with their pastel-coloured playhouse.
We first saw the tiny home in the family’s 2020 Christmas card, which was shared on the Mayhew charity’s social media pages.
In the sweet painting, we saw Harry, Meghan and Archie beaming outside the blue and white playhouse, with their dogs.
We also got a glimpse of it when the proud parents shared an image of Archie on his second birthday.
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In the shot, their eldest child was holding balloons as he ran in their garden, with the roof of the small home visible in the far left corner.
According to US property website Zillow, the Californian mansion came with the playhouse.
Prince Harry reveals Archie & Lilibet have 'incredible sense of humour' and 'keep him grounded' in GMA interview
The listing read: "The estate sits on an approximate 7.38 acre site," before outlining the "children's cottage".
It also mentioned other highlights of the garden, including "tiered rose gardens, tall Italian cypress trees, blooming lavender, century old olive trees, a tennis court, tea house, and a pool".
The couple have since added a chicken coop with an "Archie's Chick Inn" hut for rescued hens, and recently took on one of Ellen Degeneres’ hens.
When did Meghan and Harry leave the royal family?
In January 2020, the power couple announced they were officially stepping back from royal duties - to split their time between the UK and North America.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in their surprise statement: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution."
Meghan and Harry are now settled into their life in the US.
The couple are not short of star-studded company in Montecito, with a large number of famous and wealthy neighbours.
Meghan's friend Oprah Winfrey is among those in the area, along with fellow chat show star Ellen DeGeneres.
Sitting on 7.4 acres with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, their home in the exclusive celebrity enclave also boasts a private cinema, gym, spa and wine cellar.
Meghan previously gushed about their home saying it is a "calm and healing" abode to raise their kids and it makes her "feel free".
In keeping with this mantra, the couple shared how they added a waterslide to the garden for Archie one year, and Prince Harry was seen taking his son for a ride.
'MY LOVE, IT'S US'
The late Queen, who passed away in September 2022, had her own playhouse when she was a child, which she was given on her sixth birthday in 1932.
A little grander than Archie and Lilibet’s cottage, the late Queen’s two-story thatched cottage was called "Y Bwthyn Bach" in Wales or "The Little House".
The young Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret reportedly adored their play home.
One of Meghan’s personal favourite parts of the house are her palm trees.
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The Duchess of Sussex told "One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees.
"See how they’re connected at the bottom? He goes, 'My love, it’s us'."
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