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It turns out even Netflix can’t get Meghan Markle<\/strong><\/a> to open her front door.<\/p>\n The Duchess of Sussex may promise an “at home” feel in her lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan”, but that sunlit kitchen and cozy dining table on screen? They’re inside a $9.5 million rental \u2014 not the $14.7 million Montecito, California, estate she shares with Prince Harry<\/strong>, Prince Archie<\/strong>, and Princess Lilibet<\/strong>.<\/p>\n In an interview with People magazine<\/a>, Meghan explained why her Netflix series \u2014 which premiered March 4 \u2014 was filmed in a nearby rental that mirrors the style of her own home. “I wanted to protect that safe haven,” she said. “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments\u2014putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.”<\/p>\n Don’t Miss:<\/strong><\/p>\n With a production crew topping 80 people, opening her actual kitchen wasn’t an option. “Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!” Meghan said.<\/p>\n She and Prince Harry, who married in 2018, purchased their Santa Barbara County property in 2020 after stepping back from royal duties. In a 2022 interview with The Cut<\/a>, Meghan shared how a unique palm tree on the grounds caught their attention during the first tour \u2014 a symbol, perhaps, of the privacy and peace they were looking for.<\/p>\n Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n That sense of privacy explains why the on-screen version of “home”<\/a> is actually someone else’s. According to Realtor.com<\/a>, Meghan’s first season was shot at a nearby four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom property owned by local philanthropists Tom <\/strong>and Sherrie Cipolla<\/strong>. The couple purchased it for $4.7 million in 2017, and it’s now valued at about $9.5 million. The location proved such a good fit that she returned to it for season two, rather than move production into her family’s actual residence.<\/p>\n Netflix’s official description promised an “at home”-style experience with the former actress, so some viewers raised eyebrows when they learned the backdrop wasn’t her real house. But for Meghan, that boundary seems non-negotiable. The Montecito estate is where Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet play, where family dinners happen without an audience, and where \u2014 as she puts it \u2014 the day ends in “sacred time together.”<\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n See Also: Kevin O’Leary Says Real Estate’s Been a Smart Bet for 200 Years \u2014 This Platform Lets Anyone Tap Into It<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n For fans tuning in, the shift may not matter much. The rental property, with its sunlit kitchen, manicured gardens, and airy interiors, delivers the warm, aspirational vibe the show promises. And for Meghan, keeping her home off-limits preserves something even more valuable than a picture-perfect shot: the sanctuary she says keeps her grounded.<\/p>\n As “With Love, Meghan” readies its second season<\/a>, one thing seems clear \u2014 the Duchess is happy to share her California lifestyle, as long as the cameras know where to stop.<\/p>\n Read Next: 2,000 High Earners Manage $6B With This AI Platform \u2014 Book Your Private Demo<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Image: Shutterstock<\/strong><\/p>\n This article Meghan Markle Refuses To Film Netflix Show Inside Her Montecito Home, Instead Returns to $9.5 Million Rental to ‘Protect That Safe Haven’<\/a> originally appeared on Benzinga.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. It…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347938,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7708],"tags":[7709,7721,7719,7718,7720,1281,29798,451,31187,8170,447,8171,7710,519,7711],"class_list":{"0":"post-347937","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-royals","8":"tag-british-royal-family","9":"tag-duchess-of-sussex","10":"tag-duke-of-sussex","11":"tag-harry","12":"tag-meghan","13":"tag-meghan-markle","14":"tag-montecito","15":"tag-netflix","16":"tag-netflix-series","17":"tag-prince-archie","18":"tag-prince-harry","19":"tag-princess-lilibet","20":"tag-royal-families","21":"tag-royal-family","22":"tag-uk-royal-family"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115035813233096478","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}