Prince Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet Are Celebrating Summer at Cali Mansion

Meghan Markle has shared a heartwarming glimpse into her family’s idyllic plans for the summer season in a new Instagram post that reveals insight into how she and husband Prince Harry are embracing the warmer weather at home with their children, Archie and Lilibet.

The 44-year-old mother of two shared a carousel of sweet snaps taken at the family’s lavish $14.65 million mansion in Montecito, CA, including a fun photo of her son, Archie, 7, and Harry playing with a giant soccer ball on the grounds of the opulent abode.

In the image, Harry, 41, can be seen reaching toward the enormous black-and-white ball as his son runs barefoot across the lawn.

Another photo captures Lili, 5, standing in the backyard while sporting a T-shirt with a drawing of pop star Beyonce on the front, along with the words: “B is for Beyonce.”

Meghan also captured some picturesque shots of the nature surrounding her Mediterranean-style manse, including one image that showed some bird eggs in a nest, while another showed them shortly after they hatched.

Among other photos included in the carousel are an image of Meghan lying across the grass, with a large hat over her face and a basket of products from her lifestyle brand, As Ever, positioned beside her, while another selfie featured her showing off an all-denim outfit while posing on a patio at her home.

She also took a video of herself chopping up veggies in the kitchen of the property while sporting a white shirt and blue baseball hat, a basket filled with vegetables, fruit, and a jar of her As Ever spread, and an adorable image of the family’s rescue dog, Mamma Mia, lounging in the sun on a paving stone at their home.

While Harry and Meghan have not revealed any details about their summer plans, it’s thought that their children may soon be done with school for the year; the Santa Barbara Unified School District lists June 10 as the final day of lessons for all students.

They will now have several weeks to enjoy the warm weather at their sprawling mansion, before Harry is due to head to the U.K. for a one-year countdown event ahead of the 2027 Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham.

During his more recent trips to his home country, Harry has not been accompanied by his children or his wife—although Meghan did make a brief stopover in the U.K. in May, when she was on her way home to California from Switzerland.

Unnamed sources recently told the New York Post that the Duke of Sussex is eager for Meghan and their children to join him on his planned July visit to the U.K., although the same insiders noted that “no firm plans have been made,” calling attention to the fact that Harry is still in an ongoing dispute with the British government about its decision to downgrade his taxpayer-funded security.

As a result of that downgrade, Harry is not automatically given security protection when he travels to the U.K. and must instead apply for it 28 days before any trip he makes to his home country. He has previously stated that he does not feel safe bringing his family to the U.K. with the current arrangement.

The security change was made after Harry and Meghan stepped down from their positions as senior working members of the royal family in 2020 in order to relocate to California, where they have been based ever since.

At the time, their son was only a few months old—while their daughter was actually born in the U.S. in June 2021.

Harry and Meghan initially spent some time staying on Vancouver Island in Canada, before traveling to the Golden State, where they initially lived at an $18 million Beverly Hills property belonging to filmmaker Tyler Perry. They purchased their own dwelling in Montecito in June 2020.

Meghan later revealed in a 2022 interview with The Cut that the couple had stumbled across the dwelling online—and initially feared they would not be able to afford it.

“We were looking in this area, and this house kept popping up online in searches,” she said. “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.'”

However, her fascination with the nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom estate won out and they went to view the home in person—with Meghan revealing that they fell in love with it before even setting foot inside.

“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.”

The property has served as their primary residence ever since—and is now believed to be their only home after they were asked in early 2023 to vacate Frogmore Cottage, the U.K. property that they had been using during their visits there.

Harry and Meghan have never publicly stated why they chose Montecito as their home base when they relocated from the U.K. to California in 2020; however, a spokesperson for the couple previously hinted that they were hoping to enjoy ample peace and privacy in their new neighborhood.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their family home in July of this year,” the spokesperson said in a 2020 statement shared soon after their move. “They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as them for a family.”

A source later told Vogue that Harry and Meghan had known for some time that they wanted to find a home in California, but that they zeroed in on Santa Barbara because it offered so much more privacy than Los Angeles.

“Harry loves California, but they were both drawn to the smaller town of Santa Barbara, where they can integrate into the community while having some distance and privacy that is hard to come by in the Los Angeles area. For that reason, they had never intended to stay in Los Angeles,” the insider said.

The Sussexes recently marked a major relationship milestone at the dwelling, when they celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary with their two children.

Sharing a series of videos and photos from their anniversary on her Instagram Stories, Meghan began with a clip of her husband and their kids singing “Happy Anniversary to Mama” to the tune of “Happy Birthday,” while presenting her with a cake topped with several candles.

Archie and Lili could both be heard singing along in the background, as their father walked toward Meghan with the cake, with the duo’s elegantly decorated Mediterranean-inspired kitchen serving as the backdrop for their impromptu party.

As their kids chanted “blow them, blow them,” Harry and Meghan enjoyed a sweet embrace, before finally blowing out the candles on the lemon elderflower dessert.

The video then cut to a clip of Harry presenting Meghan with a very special gift: a wooden statue that shows two penguins embracing, the origins of which the Duchess of Sussex then revealed to their children.

“What! Oh my gosh!” she exclaimed while unveiling the gift, before turning to her kids and explaining: “Mama and Papa, when we got engaged, we had a party with all of our friends, and we said, ‘Everyone wore an animal onesie.’ And we wore penguins.”

Holding up a picture of the duo in their animal costumes, Meghan added: “We were penguins because they’re together for life.”

She then shared a photo of herself and Harry sharing a kiss while cutting into the anniversary cake, with a card addressed to “Mama and Papa” seen on the countertop in front of them.

Her final posts featured a close-up video of her gift placed alongside the photo of herself and Harry in their penguin onesies, as well as a card addressed to “The One and Only,” and a picture of the photo in which the duo proudly modeled their costumes.