It’s a well-known fact that Meghan Markle’s Netflix series With Love, Meghan wasn’t filmed at her and Prince Harry’s Montecito residence. Also, you may not realize that their documentary Harry & Meghan from 2022 wasn’t shot on their property either.
Although the couple crafted a limited series that features their love story through intimate interviews, these were recorded at a different spot in cozy Southern California, not at their own home. The documentary-sharing interviews took place at 888 Lilac Drive. This estate boasts 6 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms, offering around 13,600 square feet of luxurious space, including a home theater, game room, gym, bar, and a vast entertaining area where more than 200 guests can gather. Currently, the asking price stands at nearly $30 million. Interestingly, it’s been listed on and off the market for about four years now.
“Harry and Meghan filmed [the documentary] at this house, and I was inundated with calls from newspapers around the globe,” shared Ryan Malmsten, the co-listing agent of the property, in an interview with SFGate. “It was meant to be a secret, but then the Daily Mail caught wind, and everything exploded.”
Constructed in 2006, this two-story mansion was purchased by the current owners for $14.6 million back in 2013. The initial listing in 2021 was for $33.5 million, but they pulled it after just a month. It reemerged in March 2022 at the same price, only to disappear again shortly after the documentary released in December 2022. The price took a notable dip in April 2023, dropping to just under $30 million, yet it’s still without a buyer over a year later.
The situation with the Lilac Drive home seems a bit unique in a market where real estate is flourishing in Montecito. Interestingly, The Hollywood Reporter refers to this trend as The Meghan Effect, indicating that even with other superstar residents like Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow, the market is thriving. According to Zillow, the median home price in Montecito has surged by 80% since 2019, but oh so curiously, 888 Lilac remains on the market.
Malmsten also noted that they’ve almost sealed the deal several times. “For whatever reason, that specific buyer opted for properties elsewhere,” he lamented. Currently, it seems buyers prefer smaller, more efficiently designed homes in the same price bracket, which poses challenges for real estate professionals. “This year, I sold a house in the multimillion-dollar range that was valued in the 20s, and it was maybe six or seven thousand square feet,” Malmsten explained. “People are really looking for something compact yet exquisite.”
