This news was broken by Page Six and then confirmed by People Magazine, so it’s legit: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have moved out of Tyler Perry’s Mansion and into their newly-purchased home in Santa Barbara, a wealthy and quiet coastal community 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Many famous Angelenos have “beach homes” or second homes in Santa Barbara, and it would not surprise me at all if this Santa Barbara home turns out to be their second home, long-term. But for now, People confirms that “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.” Page Six had more, including Harry sniffing at Tyler Perry’s Mansion.

Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have secretly bought a private family home in Santa Barbara — the place they have chosen to put down permanent roots and bring up their son Archie after leaving the British royal family. Page Six can exclusively reveal that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have for six weeks been living in their own home in the upscale California community, which is also home to their friends Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.

Amid much speculation that the couple would buy a place in Los Angeles, a source told Page Six, “Harry and Meghan have been quietly living in their own home in Santa Barbara since early July. They are not houseguests 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. 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.”

The source adds “Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home. It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the US to be close to Meghan’s mom [who lives in LA].”

The source would not reveal details of the home, such as the price they paid or the location, citing security concerns, but added, “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.”

The source added, with regards to the paparazzi drones flown over Tyler Perry’s LA house, “Harry and Meghan are both very upset by this breach of privacy, but that wasn’t the reason they left Los Angeles. They were already in the process of buying their home in Santa Barbara. While it was a nice favor 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.”

[From Page Six]

Honestly, I bet Harry did have some culture shock just in regard to real estate as he moved to LA – the mega-mansions, the gaudiness and the lack of historical real estate in general. But yeah, Tyler Perry did them a solid so I don’t get the crack about Tyler’s house not being Harry’s style. Blah. As for wanting Archie to grow up in Santa Barbara… it sounds a lot like “we’re making our permanent base Frogmore Cottage.” Harry and Meghan want some space and distance, but I feel like they’ll find it’s unrealistic to be so far away from a major city like LA permanently.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.