Ever since Meghan Markle and
Prince Harry stepped down as senior members of the royal family, rumors swirled
that the two were headed to California to begin their new lives away from
Kensington Palace. While at first, they tried to set up shop in Canada,
they ultimately proved all the rumors right by moving to Los Angeles in March
2020, in the midst of the pandemic.
They left right before non-essential flights between the United States and
Canada were restricted and the family of three hunkered down in a non-disclosed
place in Meghan’s hometown, Los Angeles. But a lot has happened since that
swift move, and Meghan and Harry have introduced a lot of exciting changes into
their lives since then.
From bunking with a close, famous friend in Los Angeles, to buying their first
house together in Santa Barbara (and taking out a mortgage!), to finding work
in order to become financially independent from the crown, there have been a
lot of major changes in their lives. Ahead is everything they have been up to
since their big move!
They
Welcomed a Daughter With a Special Name
The couple welcomed a daughter
in early June 2021. They announced the exciting news with the following
heartfelt statement about their daughter and the very special name they gave
her. “It is with great joy that Prince Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess
of Sussex, welcome their first daughter, Lilibet “Lili” Diana
Mountbatten-Windsor to the world. She was named after her great-grandmother,
Her Majesty, The Queen and her late grandmother Diana, The Princess of
Wales,” they wrote.
We have yet to see a picture of the newest addition to the family but we can
imagine she’s precious and big brother Archie is ecstatic.
Prince
Harry ‘Will Never Walk Away’ From The Royal Family
With rumors of a rift between
Prince Harry and Prince William (and later a confirmation to Oprah that their
relationship currently requires “space”), and an unconfirmed feud
between Megan Markle and Kate Middleton, many people wondered whether Prince
Harry’s move to California was his attempt to distance himself from his family.
But as Prince Harry explained on February 25, 2021 on an appearance on The
Late Show with James Corden, he will never abandon his family, no matter how
many miles are between them.
“It was never walking away, it was stepping back rather than stepping
down,” he told Corden.
And, from everything Prince Harry shared with Oprah a couple weeks later, it
seemed apparent he still desires to have a relationship with his
family. He shared he and Prince Charles are on speaking terms again now.
When asked about his relationship with his brother, Prince William, Harry had
said he loves his brother “to bits.”
But “the relationship is space at the moment,” Harry added. “And
time heals all things, hopefully.”
They
Were Reportedly Still Paying Rent in London
Even though they were house
hunting in California, Meghan and Harry still had financial obligations when it
came to their home in London. Just because they left their estate in England
didn’t mean they were allowed to skip out on their lease. The royal couple were
reportedly paying $21,870 a month on their Frogmore Cottage home in
Windsor Castle, which covered the costs of the renovations they started prior
to moving. The Queen held them to their obligations!
