There are those who desperately wish to believe that Harry and Meghan are broke, destitute and humiliated—returning to the United Kingdom with their tails between their legs. Still others have been claiming that the couple have moved into a dilapidated farmhouse in the Cotswolds.
Sorry to disappoint, folks, but there has also been reporting that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking at British properties priced north of £8 million.
That does not sound like a couple preparing to spend the winter huddled around a temperamental Aga while rainwater drips through the ceiling.
Let us be serious. If Harry and Meghan have established a base in the English countryside, they are almost certainly not living in some crumbling farmhouse with peeling wallpaper, questionable plumbing and a family of mice holding meetings behind the pantry.
They may be living in a farmhouse—or in a grand country house designed to look charmingly rustic—but “farmhouse” and “dilapidated” are two entirely different things.
And one spectacular property currently on the market demonstrates the difference perfectly.
Poulton Hill Estate, near Cirencester, is advertised quite literally as a farmhouse. Its guide price is £9 million.
Now, to be absolutely clear, I am not suggesting that Harry and Meghan are buying Poulton Hill Estate, have viewed it or have any connection to it whatsoever. I am using it only as an example of the kind of “farmhouse” available at the level of the Cotswolds property market in which the Sussexes are reportedly looking.
And what an example it is.
At the centre of Poulton Hill is a handsome 19th-century Cotswold stone house that has been extensively transformed into a magnificent modern country residence. It has eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms and six reception rooms. It sits within approximately 106 acres and is surrounded by uninterrupted countryside views.
There are three lakes. There is a vineyard. There are three substantial barns, a three-bedroom lodge cottage and an additional three-bedroom wing.
The house also comes with underfloor heating, modern insulation, a ground-source heat pump, rainwater recovery and an integrated audio system.
So yes, folks, it is a farmhouse. But nobody is standing in the kitchen wearing three coats and waiting for the plumber.
Perhaps this is where the confusion begins. Someone hears the word “farmhouse” and imagines sagging floors, broken windows and an elderly boiler making disturbing noises in the night. But in the Cotswolds, a farmhouse may be a beautifully restored £9 million estate with a vineyard, multiple residences and its own collection of lakes.
If Poulton Hill provides even a general indication of the type of property available within the Sussexes’ reported price range, then we can safely put away the buckets intended to catch water from Meghan’s leaking roof.
This is the Cotswolds, after all, where exposed beams, honey-coloured stone and slightly uneven floors can command several million pounds. What looks quaintly agricultural from the winding country lane may contain luxurious bathrooms, a cinema room, a sophisticated security system and a kitchen large enough to accommodate a small television crew.
If there is an old barn, it has probably been converted. If there is an Aga, it works. If there are flagstone floors, they are heated. And if the roof appears charmingly weathered, one suspects it has recently been restored at enormous expense.
Meghan may be carrying a basket of freshly picked apples, but she is not battling black mould.
THIS WOULD NOT BE THEIR ONLY HOUSE
The strange insistence that the Sussexes must be broke becomes even more peculiar when one considers their reported property holdings.
Their principal American home is a substantial estate in Montecito, one of California’s wealthiest and most exclusive enclaves. The couple reportedly purchased the approximately seven-acre property in 2020 for $14.65 million.
It has been described as having nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, a library, gym, sauna, cinema, guest house, swimming pool and tennis court. This is the home from which Meghan has been building her businesses, filming lifestyle content and raising the couple’s children.
And they are reportedly keeping it.
Maintaining a property of that size is not inexpensive. There are mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, security, landscaping, maintenance and staff. A seven-acre Montecito estate does not quietly look after itself while its owners are on another continent.
Then there is Portugal.
Harry and Meghan are also reported to have acquired a home at CostaTerra Golf and Ocean Club, an exceptionally exclusive development near Comporta. The reported purchase price was approximately £6.3 million.
CostaTerra offers privacy, golf, equestrian facilities, wellness amenities and easy access to one of Portugal’s most fashionable coastal regions. It is understated luxury, but luxury nonetheless.
Again, this does not sound like a couple pawning the family silver to pay the electricity bill.
If the reports are accurate, the Sussexes are building something far more interesting: an international property portfolio.
Montecito gives them California sunshine, proximity to America’s entertainment and business industries, and the polished lifestyle Meghan has cultivated. Portugal gives them a private European retreat with easy access to Britain and the continent. An English country house would give Harry a meaningful base in his own country, allow Archie and Lilibet to develop a deeper connection to their British heritage and place the family within reach of London without requiring them to live in it.
California. Portugal. England.
That is not retreat. That is reach.
COUNTRY CHARM CAN BE VERY EXPENSIVE
For Harry and Meghan, an English property would need to offer far more than pretty roses around the front door.
Privacy and security would be essential. They would need sufficient land to create a protective perimeter, controlled access, excellent communications and room for family, guests, staff and security personnel.
A property such as Poulton Hill—again, purely as a hypothetical example—illustrates why a substantial country estate could be particularly attractive. Its acreage creates distance from roads and neighbouring houses. Its additional buildings could accommodate staff or security. Its multiple residences provide flexibility for relatives, guests and work.
And Meghan is not exactly known for embracing aesthetic chaos. Her public style leans towards warm neutrals, fresh flowers, immaculate kitchens and quiet, highly considered luxury. The idea that she has cheerfully deposited her family inside a freezing wreck because somebody described it as “authentic” is rather difficult to believe.
None of us has access to the Sussexes’ bank statements, and owning valuable property is not the same as keeping millions in cash under the mattress. Their financing arrangements, income and expenditure remain their own affair.
But it is equally absurd to declare them penniless while discussing a reported collection of multimillion-pound homes on three sides of the Atlantic.
People who are genuinely broke do not usually retain a Montecito estate, acquire a luxury property in Portugal and explore expensive houses in the English countryside simultaneously.
Harry and Meghan appear to be building a life that is American, British and European all at once. It is international, strategic and—yes—extremely expensive.
So, by all means, picture Meghan in the Cotswolds. Picture the wellington boots, cashmere sweaters, baskets of apples and long walks across the countryside.
She may even be living in a farmhouse.
But if the Cotswolds market is any indication, that “farmhouse” could conceivably have eight bedrooms, three lakes, several barns, underfloor heating and a vineyard.
Dilapidated?
Sorry, folks. Wrong Duchess.
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