Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Keep Their California Home amid Move Back to the U.K.?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving back to the U.K., so what will happen to their homes in Montecito, California, and Portugal?

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving back to the U.K. with their two children, PEOPLE understands

Find out if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will keep their home in California

The couple purchased a $14 million home in Montecito, where they’ve lived since 2020

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are moving back to the U.K., so what does that mean for their homes in California and Portugal?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are moving back to Harry’s home country with their two children — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — who will attend school in the U.K., PEOPLE understands. The family will not live in a royal residence.

Amid the move, Prince Harry and Meghan will retain their home in California as well as their vacation property in Portugal.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex/Instagram

Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, moved to her home state of California shortly after they stepped back from their royal roles in 2020. After spending time at Tyler Perry’s Los Angeles estate during the transition and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple purchased a home in Montecito, a Santa Barbara community that celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have called home. They reportedly spent $14 million on a nine-bedroom mansion.

In a 2022 interview with The Cut, Meghan recalled touring the home and how a pair of palm trees caught Prince Harry’s attention.

“One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees,” she said. “See how they’re connected at the bottom? He goes, ‘My love, it’s us.’ “

“And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, ‘Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa,’ “ Meghan added of their son.

They shared glimpses inside and around their California home via Meghan’s Instagram, her lifestyle brand As ever’s photos and videos and their 2022 Netflix series Harry and Meghan. They even took Oprah inside their on-property chicken coop, dubbed “Archie’s Chick Inn,” during their 2021 interview.

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Prince Harry and Meghan are also thought to maintain a vacation home in Portugal. Portugal became a special retreat for the family, and they visited last month during their trip to Europe.

“They love Portugal because Archie and Lilibet can simply be kids,” a source told PEOPLE. “It’s always very low-key with beach days, playing and spending time together as a family.”

Prince Harry’s cousin Princess Eugenie, who recently welcomed her third child in Lisbon, also lives in Portugal with her family part-time.

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Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank’s family began splitting their time between Portugal and the U.K. in 2022, tied to a job change for Jack. He previously worked as a brand ambassador for Casamigos, the tequila company founded by George Clooney and Rande Gerber, and his new position is with property tycoon Mike Meldman, one of Clooney’s business partners. Meanwhile, Princess Eugenie works as a director at the London art gallery Hauser & Wirth.

Eugenie spoke about living in Portugal during an appearance on the Table Manners podcast in 2023.

“This is why Portugal is the dream because I can go to the supermarket in my exercise gear and my hair piled on my head and not mind. Not care. No one cares,” she said.

While Prince Harry built a life for his family in California, an insider recently told PEOPLE he’s “always had one foot” in Britain.

“He’s never lived a life here where he hasn’t been entangled in his past life,” the insider said.

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