Prince Harry and Meghan Markle purchased a home in one of the most exclusive areas of California, but they couldn't have foreseen the hidden problems that would hit them years later.
The couple live in a sprawling $14.5 million mansion in Montecito with their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. While the interior features seven bedrooms, thirteen and a half bathrooms, a home office and a gym, decked out in a blend of minimalistic, Scandi and classic Mediterranean accents, the exterior is perhaps even more impressive with a chicken coop, a swimming pool and a playhouse for their kids.
But they may only be able to enjoy the latter features by navigating a displeasing aroma wafting over from a neighbouring farm. The downfall of being in a private area surrounded by countryside is that you don't know exactly what will be on those farms. In the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's case, they live a mere 10 minutes from a cannabis farm, according to the Daily Mail.
Cannabis is legal in 38 states for medical use and 24 states for recreational use, and California falls into the latter category. That means their neighbours can grow the plants on an "industrial scale" which, although profitable, can cause an overwhelmingly powerful smell.
Harry and Meghan will not be the only ones who may be affected by the stench; their Santa Barbara neighbours include Oprah Winfrey, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
Harry and Meghan's home
The Sussexes bought the property known as the Chateau of Riven Rock for $14.6 million (£11.93 million) in July 2020, but according to The Sun, the value has more than doubled to an estimated $30 million, as of 2022.
During that time, they have shared several glimpses inside their sprawling 7-acre grounds, especially in their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan. It included a snapshot of doting dad Harry playing football with little Archie on his shoulders and Meghan's mother Doria Ragland.
He also got stuck into summer fun with his kids, setting up a slip-n-slide on the sloping hill in their garden - perfect for cooling off when they don't feel like a dip in the pool.
For more relaxing ways to soak up the outdoor space, Harry and Meghan can sit on the terrace on the romantic outdoor bench with a blue and white striped cushion surrounded by manicured bushes.
Harry's candid confessions
Prince Harry has previously admitted to experimenting with drugs, even smoking weed after his first date with Meghan in 2016.
After enjoying drinks with the American actress at Soho House 76 Dean Street, Meghan left because she had dinner plans and Harry visited a friend who lived off the King's Road in Chelsea.
In his book Spare, he admitted: "He took one look at my face and said: 'What's happened?' I didn't want to tell him. I kept thinking: Do not tell him. Do not tell him. Do not tell him. I told him. I recounted the entire date, then pleaded: '[Expletive] mate, what am I going to do?'
"Out came the tequila. Out came the weed. We drank and smoked and watched… [Disney film] Inside Out."
The Duke also said that he had enjoyed the occasional dabble with cannabis after the pair moved into Tyler Perry's LA home during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020. "Late at night with everyone asleep, I'd walk the house, checking the doors and windows. Then I'd sit on the balcony or the edge of the garden and roll a joint," he wrote.
Despite his recreational use in the past, we can't imagine Harry would be a fan of the smell caused by the production of cannabis nearby if it reached his tranquil property.
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