MW Meghan Markle offers a peek at the gardens of her $14.65 million SoCal mansion

By Charlie Lankston

It's her 'end of day' harvest of flowers and fruit

Meghan Markle may well be trying to grow a global lifestyle brand to rival the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop and Kourtney Kardashian's Poosh-but when it comes to her own life at her $14.65 million Montecito, Calif., home, the Duchess of Sussex prefers to take a more grass-roots approach.

Away from her public-facing role as founder and CEO of her fledgling business, "As Ever," the 43-year-old prefers to kick back in her expansive garden, where she grows all manner of flowers and fruit, which she "harvests" at the end of every day.

Markle, who shares two children with her husband, Prince Harry, offered a glimpse of her "end of day harvest" on her Instagram account, proudly showing off the haul of roses, oranges, and strawberries she collected from the land around her sprawling mansion.

In a series of clips posted to her Instagram Stories, the former "Suits" star could be seen looking every inch the gardening aficionado, sporting Hunter brand rain boots over her dark skinny jeans, a khaki green jacket, and a white baseball cap.

Markle began her harvest by collecting a large bunch of white roses in a large brown wicker basket, before moving to her at-home orchard to collect a hefty amount of fresh oranges.

Making her way down a flight of steps in the yard, Markle then plopped her flower basket down in front of the camera to reveal a collection of long-stemmed roses, before sharing a clip of herself giggling while trying to navigate the planting beds while wielding her haul.

A man could be heard chuckling behind the camera as Markle attempted to keep hold of her baskets. She did not reveal whether it was Harry filming her.

In the final two clips, the duchess showed off the baskets, adding a collection of strawberries to the mix. Also in the sneak peek are the couple's two dogs: Pula, a black Labrador, who could be seen rolling around on the grass in the background of one shot, and Mamma Mia, a rescue beagle who was filmed sniffing around the baskets.

The videos were shared just a few days after Markle revealed some sweet snaps of her two children, Archie and Lilibet, enjoying the pretty flowers on their property alongside their mother. One image showed her son proudly holding up a large pink-and-white rose to the camera.

In another photo, Markle and Lilibet could be seen leaning in to smell the blooms.

The manicured grounds of their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom estate have long been one of the couple's favorite aspects of their home-with Markle revealing in a 2022 interview with The Cut that it was the palm trees in the backyard that first convinced them it was the perfect dwelling for their family.

"One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees," she recalled. "We did everything we could to get this house."

"Everything" involved putting in an offer of close to $15 million, something that Markle admitted in her Cut interview she didn't think they'd be able to do.

"We were looking in this area and this house kept popping up online in searches," she shared of their house-hunting process. "We didn't have jobs, so we were just not going to come and see this house. It wasn't possible. It's like when I was younger and you're window shopping-it's like, 'I don't want to go and look at all the things that I can't afford-that doesn't feel good.'"

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The couple appear to have made a profitable investment, with Realtor.com estimates revealing that the property could now be worth upward of $20 million.

They moved into the home in 2020, just a few months before their younger child, Lilibet, was born. The couple went to great lengths to safeguard the dwelling from public view, sharing just a few scant glimpses inside the property during Zoom (ZM) appearances.

In recent months, Markle has been more open about showcasing various aspects of the home on her social media accounts, which she revived on Jan. 1, having shut them all down after announcing her engagement to Harry.

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The duchess has since shared videos and images taken in and around the home, including cooking clips, photos of her children's meals, and candid snaps of the kids enjoying playtime in the yard. The property was even used as the backdrop for her first campaign shoot for her brand.

She did, however, draw the line at allowing a film crew into the property to tape scenes for her recently released Netflix show, "With Love, Meghan," which was instead shot at a nearby Montecito property that was rented out as a set for the duchess and her guests.

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Speaking about that decision in an interview with People magazine shortly before the series was released, the mother of two explained that she didn't want to risk the "safe haven" that she and Harry have created inside the home-noting that they have gone above and beyond to ensure that they enjoy as much "normalcy" as possible within its walls.

"Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is," she said.

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"I wanted to protect that safe haven," she went on. "We're a close-knit family, and I love those moments-putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.

"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!"

This story originally ran on Realtor.com.

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May 07, 2025 05:02 ET (09:02 GMT)

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