Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, has officially made its debut, but there’s one thing fans won’t see: a glimpse inside her real-life home in Montecito, California. 

Instead, the Duchess of Sussex chose a different location to host her lifestyle show.

In With Love, Meghan, the Duchess invites friends and celebrities to a gorgeous California estate, where she shares her personal insights on cooking, gardening and entertaining. 

Throughout the show, Meghan is joined by celebrity guests and close friends, such as Mindy Kaling, Abigail Spencer, Roy Choi and her husband, Prince Harry. 

So why didn’t Meghan showcase her own Montecito home in the series? The real reason behind her decision to keep her residence private comes down to protecting her family’s sanctuary. 

With Love, Meghan was filmed at a nearby farmhouse just a few miles away from the Sussexes’ Montecito estate. The luxurious four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom farmhouse is owned by local philanthropists Tom and Sherrie Cipolla, who purchased the property for $4.7 million in 2017. 

The estate’s current value is estimated to be over $8 million. The property, with its lush grounds filled with lemon and avocado trees, served as the perfect setting for the series. An additional barn on the property was also used as a secondary filming location.

This isn’t the first time Meghan and Harry have opted for an alternate property for a Netflix project. In their 2022 documentary Harry & Meghan, the couple filmed interviews at a nearby $30 million estate. 

Meghan revealed that she chose to film With Love, Meghan away from her Montecito home to ensure her family’s privacy. “I wanted to protect that safe haven,” she explained in an interview with People. She added, “We’re a close-knit family, and I love those moments -putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.”

In 2020, Harry and Meghan bought their Montecito home after relocating from the UK in March of the same year. Just two months before their move, the couple announced they were stepping back from their senior royal duties, with the intention of becoming financially independent while still supporting Queen Elizabeth. They purchased their California estate shortly after the announcement and have made it their private family sanctuary ever since.

With Love, Meghan is now available for streaming on Netflix.