Royal neighbors: Ellen DeGeneres 'to be neighbors with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after snapping up $49million mansion in California's exclusive Montecito area'
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi could soon be neighbors with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and baby Archie, after reportedly snapping up a $49million estate in Montecito, California.
The 62-year-old comic best known for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and her 47-year-old wife, are said to have bought the property from Dennis Miller, 67, the SNL comedian and political commentator, and his wife, former model Carolyn Espley-Miller, 55, in late September.
The private deal makes the compound one of the priciest ever sold in the Santa Barbara County area, The Wall Street Journal reported.
As well as the royals the couple join a host of new celebrity neighbors nearby including pop star Katy Perry and her fiancé Orlando Bloom, who snapped up a $14.2 million ocean view home in the area in October.
DeGeneres and de Rossi have reportedly bought the former home of comedian Dennis Miller and his wife, former model Carolyn Espley-Miller, who posted this photo of the home on her Instagram account in December last year
DeGeneres and her wife de Rossi, pictured on the beach on Thanksgiving, married in 2008, have lived in the wealthy, Montecito area for many years and are known for moving homes regularly
DeGeneres is best known for The Ellen Show, a chat show she has hosted since 2003, but is quickly becoming known as a property mogul in California by 'flipping' mansions to millionaire and billionaire buyers
Who lives in Montecito?
The secluded hillside estates in Montecito, around 80 miles west of Los Angeles, between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains in California’s Santa Barbara County, are a paradise for Hollywood stars and the super rich who want to live in splendid isolation.
Most properties cost between $2million and $20million.
Over the years it has attracted the rich and famous, including Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kirk Douglas, George Lucas, Patrick Stewart, Al Gore, Carol Burnett, John Cleese, Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kenny Loggins, Kevin Costner.
DeGeneres and de Rossi's reported new home is spread over 4.3acres and features a 9,000sqft South African Cape Dutch-style main building, a guesthouse, a pool-house, a detached garage and a barn designed by acclaimed architect Tom Kundig.
All five of the structures encircle a large lily pond, complete with a rowboat and stocked with fish as well as an infinity-edged swimming pool that overlooks the pond.
Former owner Miller and his wife Espley-Miller have lived on the estate since buying it for $11million in 2006.
As the estate was never publicly on the market photos and details are scarce, but on Espley-Miller's Instagram account she posts photos from inside the home showing high ceilings, an open-plan kitchen, black and white checkerboard-style marble floors, an entire wall made of glass windows as well as lush gardens filled with palm trees.
DeGeneres and de Rossi are longtime property owners in the ritzy neighborhood and have a reputation for moving frequently, having recently sold a different, five-bed, 10,674sqft home for $33.3 million that they bought two years ago for $27million.
DeGeneres - worth an estimated $370million - is swiftly gaining notoriety as a property mogul in southern California, flipping mansions to billionaires and celebrities.
The buyer of her former home remains hidden on public documents, having purchased the property on November 6 using a company incorporated just two days earlier.
Comedian Dennis Miller, pictured with wife Carolyn Espley at the 'When Harry Met Sally reunion last year, sold their Montecito home to DeGeneres and de Rossi
Old home: DeGeneres and de Rossi have a reputation of being serial 'house-flippers' and put this 10,700sqft Bali-inspired home up for sale for $39.9million a year after buying it for $27million
Old home: The couple is understood to have made extensive renovations to the home before they sold it, and also bought an adjacent property for $1.9 million where they built a 1,400 square foot guest house
Old home: DeGeneres - worth an estimated $370 million - put the 10,674 sq ft home – which has five bathrooms and five half-bathrooms - on the market for $39.9 million last month according to property site Redfin
Old home: DeGeneres has turned a multi-million dollar profit on the California property after buying it for $27 million just two years ago, Santa Barbara County records show
Her new neighbors, the ex-royals Markle and Harry, bought their own Italian-style Montecito pad this summer for $14.7million, in a secure, leafy, gated estate.
The estate has sweeping lawns, tiered rose gardens, tall Italian cypress trees, blooming lavender, century old olive trees, a tennis court, tea house, children's cottage and a pool.
The 14,563-square-foot home, known as 'The Chateau', sits on 5.4 acres of land and immaculately clipped hedges border the estate's stone-pillared entry gates.
Never-before-seen photos of the interior recently emerged on the website Giggster from before the couple bought the property, when it could be rented for $700 a hour for events or films.
The interior shots reveal dark wood accents and some outdated furniture. It's believed Harry and Meghan have added their personal touches since moving in this summer.
Surrounded by lush green gardens and overlooking the sea, the home has been described as a 'hidden paradise'. One estate agent who spent an hour inside said it was 'designed for someone who never wants to leave home'.
The pair have been holding many paid virtual engagements from the comfort of the home, offering glimpses of the decor, including their neutral tones in the living room.
Royal neighbors: The Sussexes bought this Italian-style villa in Montecito, not far from DeGeneres' new home, for $14.7million, this summer
Royal neighbors: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry bought the 14,563-sqft home for $14,650,000 on June 18 in the upscale Montecito neighborhood of Santa Barbara, California
Royal neighbors: The Sussexes' home features nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms along with a games room, gym, tennis courts and tea house. Pictured is the kitchen that flows into the fining room and living room
The pair have been holding many paid virtual engagements from the comfort of the home, offering glimpses of the decor, including their neutral tones in the living room
Since stepping down from their roles as senior royals, both Meghan and Prince Harry have become increasingly outspoken about a range of hot-button issues, including Black Lives Matter and voter suppression.
The Sussexes are reportedly putting roots down in California and are said to have handed the keys of Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, their base in the UK, over to pregnant Princess Eugenie after clearing out the property 'in the dead of night.'
Eugenie, 30, and her husband Jack Brooksbank, 34, who are expecting their first child in the New Year, moved into the five-bedroom home in Windsor recently, according to The Sun.
Princess Eugenie, 30, and her husband Jack Brooksbank , 34, moved into Frogmore Cottage, after reaching a private deal with Harry and Meghan, reports claim