Montecito Mansion: Meghan Markle Struggling With 'Managing' Her and Prince Harry's $14M California Abode
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry settled down in Montecito, Calif., after the duo left the royal fold, but can they care for their estate without the help of royal staffers?
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are based in California.
"Managing a $14 million mansion like Harry and Meghan's in Montecito takes a lot of work," real estate company owner Eric Bramlett told an outlet. "It's like running a small boutique hotel with residential service. The costs pile up quick, but it comes with luxury living."
According to Bramlett, the property has "high operating costs" and is expensive to maintain.
Meghan Markle is building her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard.
The couple's U.S. home isn't the only thing the Duchess of Sussex is focused on, as the former actress is slowly rolling out her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. OK! previously reported biographer Angela Levin speculated that the mom-of-two is adjusting to entrepreneurship.
"She is very upset about what is happening with this American Orchard Rivera, [and] she is not happy about how it has been received. The jam was a bit of a laughing stock, she sent it off to about fifty friends and only a few replied," Levin told GB News.
"Everyone said that she is in a jam. It is not moving forward. She has had a lot of trouble finding a CEO to run it for her and she is having a lot of trouble finding a chef. Some of them have gone along to see how it is but they say she is so meticulous about everything," she continued. “She's so demanding and they don't really want that. These are chefs who have good jobs, and they're not people who are learning."
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Meghan Markle sent jars of American Riviera Orchard jam to celebrities.
Meghan returned to Instagram in March to tease her latest venture, as she sent jars of her jam to celebrities such as Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner. However, the brand has yet to hit retailers.
"So it's a bit of a stalemate, but she has got 150 things on her link, and she's applied for a global patent," Levin explained. "Some of the things [she will be selling] are fabric gift wraps, cocktail napkins, meditation maps, pillows for household pets, a whole range of things from A to Z."
"We'll have to see how she gets on. I think she's she's finding it much more difficult than she thought," she shared. "I think she thought she would sail in and everybody would think it was wonderful, which I think she does a lot about herself. But actually it's jolly hard work."
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reside in a $14 million estate.
Despite Levin's commentary, a source close to the American royal claimed Meghan dedicated a lot of time and thought to developing her business.
"Meghan finds the name American Riviera Orchard perfect. It feels authentic to her," the source told a magazine. "She can't wait for the website to launch. She is excited about her latest, personal venture."
"This is something she's been wanting to do for a while. She is excited to share her style and things that she loves," they added.
Bramlett spoke to The Sun.