Forget Wills and Kate’s dusty old Norfolk. The lovebirds want to hang out with the groovy set in the Cotswolds – and the local estate agents’ eyes are lighting up.
There comes a time in every couple’s relationship when the question of moving in together becomes impossible to ignore.
And when those two lovebirds have been stepping out for 15 months — even though they live 3,500 miles apart; he in the UK, she in Canada — it’s not so much a case of ‘if’ as of ‘when’ they will settle down.
So it comes as no surprise that Prince Harry, 33, and his actress girlfriend Meghan Markle, 36, are said to be house-hunting.
£7.25million – North Aston Manor, Oxfordshire: This eight bedroom property, overlooking the stunning Cherwell Valley, has seven reception rooms, a spa, swimming pool and 18.2 acres with equestrian facilities. It’s nine miles from Soho Farmhouse and swanky shopping centre Bicester Village, should Meghan fancy snapping up some designer bargains
Royal sources have exclusively told the Daily Mail that the royal couple are looking in Oxfordshire and are particularly interested in high-end properties tucked away in the rolling Cotswold hills.
A good friend of Harry’s says the Prince, whose father’s residence, Highgrove House, is in the south Cotswolds, has a long-standing affection for the area, while Meghan is said to be entranced by its rustic charm.
‘He is searching for a new home in the area,’ the friend reveals.
‘Before Meghan, he was vaguely looking in Norfolk, but didn’t find what he wanted. Now, with her input, he’s renewed his search.’
£2million – The Old Rectory, Lower Brailes, Oxfordshire: A stunning wood-panelled property dating from the 14th century, this boasts eight bedrooms, a sun-drenched terrace and its own private lake, complete with duck house. There’s a three-bedroom coach house for guests and it’s set at the end of a no-through road.
Certainly, the lush green countryside encompassing swathes of Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire is a huge draw for London-dwellers eager to snap up rural boltholes.
Just an hour or so from the capital, it’s home (or at least a weekend retreat) to A-listers, politicians and media executives: the Camerons, Beckhams, Kate Moss, Lily Allen and Stella McCartney all have million-pound properties in the area.
‘It’s like a magnet,’ says Sophie Gannon, of Savills Estate Agents in Banbury, Oxfordshire. ‘If you get one person, you get them all.’
However, Harry isn’t following the crowd but listening to his heart. The Cotswolds, and specifically Highgrove, which was bought by his father’s private estate in 1980, is where the Prince spent much of his childhood.
It was Charles and Diana’s weekend home, with 15-acre grounds and, later on, a teenage haven in the cellars of the main house, which Harry nicknamed ‘Club H’.
£2.95million – Fanthill, Banbury, Oxfordshire: Accessed through electric gates, up a winding driveway, this eight-bedroom house sits among 20 acres of land, so ticks all Harry’s boxes when it comes to privacy. There’s a heated outdoor pool, miniature golf course and a carp lake, where the young lovebirds could row off the private pier
A local who knows the family says: ‘It’s not surprising that Harry would like to live where he feels at home.
‘He’s lived in the Cotswolds all his life and often returns to visit his father. After his mother died, it became a place of sanctuary.
‘When the boys entered their teens, Charles bought several homes in the area, thinking they might want one in the future.’
Ten years ago, Charles bought up properties adjacent to his sprawling estate, paying £2 million apiece for nearby manor houses and farm buildings.
But sources say rather than living off his father’s generosity, Harry wants to invest in a place of his own.
£4.25million – Cross Hill House, Adderbury, Oxfordshire: This 10-bedroom house, surrounded by landscaped gardens, is eight miles from Soho Farmhouse. There are ample stables in the grounds as well as a reassuringly private Victorian walled garden. The centrepiece of the house is a huge open-plan sitting and dining room
He has friends and relatives dotted across the Cotswolds, an area estate agents dub the ‘Royal Triangle’.
Cousin Zara, her rugby-player husband Mike Tindall and their daughter Mia, three, live six miles from Highgrove in a cottage at Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne’s country estate.
The Beckham brood, of whom the Prince is very fond, have been renovating a £5 million plot on the 4,000-acre Great Tew Estate in Chipping Norton since 2015.
Palace insiders say it’s this tight-knit circle of friends that has prompted the couple to focus their search on the Cotswolds rather than Norfolk, where William and Kate rule the roost at Anmer Hall, a grand Georgian pile boasting a swimming pool and tennis court.
‘They don’t want to be second-runners to Kate and William,’ one source says.
Locals have spotted the Prince — without his girlfriend — discreetly checking out several Cotswolds hotspots in recent months.
The blacked-out Range Rovers driven by royal protection officers have been spotted navigating the country lanes around Cirencester and Stow-on-the-Wold, while Harry has apparently been sipping pints of bitter in low-key village pubs.
£7.75million – Luckington Court, Chippenham, Wiltshire: This 11th-century house with original Tudor features is set in 157 acres of woodland and pasture, surrounded by a secure fence. There are eight bedrooms, four reception rooms, two kitchens, a music room, study and plenty of space for staff — a must for any royal retreat
‘I’m not surprised he’s moving here — he’s in the local quite often,’ says one resident. ‘You’d see his security men sitting outside and you’d know he’d be in there.’
Of course, there are practical reasons for moving to the Cotswolds. Harry’s royal duties require him to be close to London and Toronto-based Meghan, whose time on the U.S. TV series Suits is coming to an end, wouldn’t cope well with being cut off from the metropolis.
‘Harry is conscious that Norfolk would be too far out for someone with media leanings and an urban upbringing like Meghan,’ a source close to the couple explains.
The couple have tested the water with two mini-breaks, in February and July, at Soho Farmhouse, the private members’ club-cum-hotel in Great Tew, which has become a haven for stars who want to go under the radar.
Regulars include George and Amal Clooney, while Harry’s cousins Beatrice and Eugenie were recently spotted sipping mojitos by the pool.
Luxury cabins at the farmhouse — owned by the West London club Soho House, whose consultant Markus Anderson introduced Harry and Meghan last July — cost up to £725 a night, but members say it’s more likely the pair took the main farmhouse for £6,000 a night.
Meghan is said to adore the £110 brightening facials and £120 evening primrose body wraps at the on-site Cowshed spa.
£3.95million – Amberley Court, Stroud, Gloucestershire: This 17th century manor boasts eight bedrooms, six receptions, a tennis court, infinity pool, stables and a two-bedroom guest lodge. It also has 22-cares of grounds. It’s eight miles from Highgrove and two miles from Gatcombe Park, and within striking distance of Beaufort Polo Club, where Harry attends charity days
Proximity to the Farmhouse, as well as Daylesford Organic, a chi-chi farm shop and bakery 15 miles away, are said to be top of Meghan’s requirements for a new home.
Second on her list is plenty of outside space for her two rescue dogs, Bogart and Guy.
Harry is also said to be looking for somewhere spacious, but not big or showy, so he can keep horses and turn the land into a polo field.
‘That’s always been his dream,’ a royal source explains.
Other must-haves are a decent kitchen — Harry is a keen chef — a helipad and a space to host parties out of reach of neighbours, passing traffic and long lenses.
The royal budget should be more than enough to secure a place that meets these requirements. Harry has a fortune in excess of £30 million. Meghan is worth around £4 million from film and TV work.
But more pressing than price is how they go about finding their dream home. Royals don’t peer in estate agents’ windows; well-connected chums will have been asked to do research for them.
‘Harry is being discreet,’ a friend says. ‘This is a word-of-mouth search, with Harry’s friends pulling out all the stops.’
£3.95million – Amberley Court, Stroud, Gloucestershire: This 17th century manor boasts eight bedrooms, six receptions, a tennis court, infinity pool (pictured), stables and a two-bedroom guest lodge. It also has 22-cares of grounds. It’s eight miles from Highgrove and two miles from Gatcombe Park, and within striking distance of Beaufort Polo Club, where Harry attends charity days
Palace sources say VanHan, a property company founded by royal confidants Thomas van Straubenzee and Rory Penn, has been given the nod to lead the hunt.
The Mayfair firm markets some of the capital’s finest properties — recently including the £39 million Bulgari Hotel penthouse — to wealthy clients.
VanHan also has access to a small roster of exclusive country piles. Viewings are strictly private and the properties are labelled ‘off market’ to deter prying eyes.
Sources say Harry’s inner circle — Tom Inskip, whose Jamaican wedding he and Meghan attended in March; Eton pal Jake Warren; filmmaker Arthur Landon and Viscount Julian Erleigh — will be alerting contacts behind the scenes, while cousin Zara, is on hand for local advice.
Of course, there is still the tricky question of timing. Traditionally, royal couples haven’t lived together until after marriage, but Kate and William set a precedent in Anglesey, spending time in their North Wales home before their wedding in 2011.
Insiders say protocol dictates Harry and Meghan should at least be engaged before moving in.
So is the house-hunt a sign that a proposal is on the cards? This week, U.S. magazines claimed the couple are already engaged, after Harry popped the question in Botswana in August.
Sources close to the couple say this may not be far from the truth, with the pair starting seriously discussing marriage — a step some are calling an ‘unofficial’ engagement.
But the timing of an announcement would be tricky, with so many royal anniversaries taking place, not least the Queen and Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary in November.
However long they have to wait, locals are thrilled by the prospect of their new neighbours.
‘The last thing we want is the world and his wife trying to get into Soho Farmhouse,’ one Chipping Norton resident confides. ‘You get a bit fed up of the actresses swanning around. But a prince — now, that’s a real celebrity.’