Harry and Meghan have relocated to Los Angeles. Photo / AP
Harry and Meghan have relocated to Los Angeles. Photo / AP
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are househunting in the same area of Los Angeles where Diana, Princess of Wales planned to set down roots in 1997, it has emerged.
The couple are understood to be searching for a beachside home in Malibu to bring up their 10-month-old son Archie.
Harry's mother planned to move there with her then-boyfriend Dodi Fayed after he bought a palatial home in the area a few months before their deaths in a Paris car crash.
The Tuscan-style villa, set in 2ha with a private beach and 39m of ocean frontage, used to belong to Mary Poppins star Julie Andrews and her film director husband Blake Edwards.
In 2007, Diana's former butler Paul Burrell confirmed she was planning to move to what he described as a "lovely house… in Malibu" adding that he had seen all the plans for it.
He told ABC News: "She said, 'This is our new life, just won't it be great, think of the lifestyle for the boys — nobody's judgmental here in America, you don't have the class system, you don't have the establishment'."
Diana planned to move to Malibu with Dodi Fayed. Photo / Getty Images
Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, are understood to be housing hunting in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, one of the most exclusive areas on the Pacific Coast Highway. The Malibu region is already home to a host of celebrities including Robert Downey Jr, Mel Gibson, Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox.
Located within an hour's drive of the Hollywood studios, former actress Meghan is understood to have told friends that she had always wanted to "return home" and raise her family there.
"Over the last few months they have been looking at residences in that stretch of the city," said a source. "There is at least one very high profile, high-end realtor, who has been home spotting for them privately.
"Meghan has made it no secret to those in her life from even before meeting Harry she hoped to live on the beach eventually."
They are currently thought to be renting a home in a "quiet" LA neighbourhood as they search for something more permanent having caught one of the last flights to the US from Canada where they had been living on Vancouver Island since November.
Today marks their first day as "non" royals having announced they were stepping down in January in a bid to seek "financial independence" in North America.
It had long been rumoured the couple eventually planned to end up in Malibu with resident celebrity Caitlyn Jenner having revealed on the ITV show Loose Woman that she had heard they were househunting when their split from the Firm was announced three months ago.
The former Suits actress used to spend a lot of her childhood at the Malibu beaches within an hour's drive of Woodland Hills, where she grew up.
The region has beautiful hiking locations like the Topanga State Park and Will Rogers State Historic Park.
Meghan's parents Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland used to take her to play at Will Rogers beach, which was the location for the 1990s US series Baywatch, starring Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff.
Celebrity hangouts in the area include the famous Paradise Cove Cafe, where stars including David Beckham, Gwen Stefani and Robbie Williams have all been spotted.
Another famous Pacific Coast Highway eatery is Geoffrey's, which is a reservation-only spot frequented by the region's wealthiest patrons.
A few kilometres down the road is Moonshadows, a lively party bar, made famous by Mel Gibson, who was arrested outside the nightspot after a boozy session.
