Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reported to be on the lookout for a new home in a private California community.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are rumoured to be keen on a move to the Hope Ranch community because their $14 million mansion in nearby Montecito “does not properly accommodate them”.
A journalist who recently visited the nine-bedroom property described it as "startlingly big".
Hope Ranch homes can fetch as much as $22 million, according to a Santa Barbara News-Press report.
The community contains a range of facilities including a country club, golf club and tennis court – as well as a strong equestrian community comprising 27 miles of riding trails.
The Daily Mail cites a News-Press report that the couple may already have purchased a property there, although no buy has been confirmed.
There has been no indication as to whether the couple are likely to seek a larger property than their current home or downsize.
While Montecito is popular with Hollywood celebrities such as the Sussexes' friend Ellen DeGeneres, as well as the likes of Katy Perry and Jennifer Aniston, Hope Ranch's affluent private neighbourhood would offer quieter surroundings for the royals to raise children Archie and Lilibet.
The potential move comes on the back of police action in Montecito designed to combat a rise in crime.
An email from the Montecito Association to residents said license-plates recognition cameras were being installed “in response to the high-value property crime we've experienced recently,” according to reports in The Sun.
“The crimes are being committed by sophisticated out-of-the-area theft gangs.”
The Sussexes have been affected by the crime spree, with their home reportedly subject to two intruder scares in the space of 12 days earlier this year.
Santa Barbara Police records logged cops visiting their mansion on May 19 at 5.44pm after reports of a trespasser.
They then responded to a second intruder report on May 31 at 3.21pm – a matter of hours before Harry and Meghan returned from the UK after attending the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
The Sun reported Craig Bonner, undersheriff for Santa Barbara County, telling an online meeting that the area was having “some problems with professional burglars”.
The unincorporated village of Hope Ranch had a population of about 2,200 at the time of the last census in the US.
Harry and Meghan bought their existing property in June 2020, four months after stepping down from royal duties and deciding to relocate across the Atlantic.
