Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex’s close A-list friend might be bidding farewell to the US following the recent presidential election results. Ellen DeGeneres is reportedly planning to trade her sunny Montecito mansion for the scenic Cotswolds, a surprising move considering Meghan and Prince Harry’s royal exit nearly five years ago.
Ellen, 66, and her wife, actress Portia De Rossi, 51, are said to have already bought a luxurious mansion in the Cotswolds – an area near Harry and Meghan’s former home and where many members of the Royal Family, including King Charles at his Gloucestershire residence Highgrove House, have homes. When Meghan and Harry resided in Frogmore Cottage, Ellen reportedly visited them and even helped with one of baby Archie’s feeds.
She seems to have spent considerable time in the UK’s rural areas recently. Just last week, she and Portia were seen at Jeremy Clarkson’s pub The Farmer’s Dog, enjoying the company of musician James Blunt.
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Last year, Ellen was reported to have attended a lavish party in a grand Oxfordshire home.
The former talk show host and her spouse are reportedly ready to sell their Montecito mansion after purchasing a property in the UK. Meanwhile, despite no signs of leaving sunny California, Harry and Meghan are said to have recently bought a home in Portugal – their first residence on this side of the Atlantic since they returned the keys to Frogmore Cottage in 2023, reports the Mirror.
The Cotswolds, considered one of the most scenic parts of the UK, span several counties including Wiltshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, and Gloucestershire. It also houses a countryside version of Soho House, a members club that both Meghan and Harry belong to and frequented during their early dating days.
Ellen and her wife Portia are reportedly “very disillusioned” with Trump’s recent win and plan to “get the hell out” of the US, according to the Daily Mail. People magazine reports that Meghan quickly became friends with Ellen after a chance meeting at a dog shelter where the talk show host encouraged Meghan to adopt a dog.
The two women have been neighbors as well as friends for several years now, and Meghan appeared on Ellen’s talk show back in 2021 before it went off the air.
Whether Ellen’s new base in the Cotswolds will be enough to persuade Meghan and Harry to quit Montecito too seems unlikely, but the presence of her close friend in her former home might be an enticement for the Duchess to return more regularly to the UK for visits.