You can be Harry and Meghan's neighbors at "California Versailles."
Oprah, Ellen, and Gwyneth. In addition to being media moguls, they're all neighbors to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the upscale neighborhood of Montecito, California. And now you can be too - if you have the money to make it happen.
If you're looking for a mansion, there's one for sale nearby for $29.5 million. [This five-bedroom, 10-bathroom property is located in Montecito's Burnham Wood neighborhood, described by the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties blog as a "celebrity paradise under the radar" called the "Golden Quadrangle"
However, the property is located in the "Golden Quadrangle.
But what listing agent Sheena Omidy describes as "Montecito Chateau Estates" is no ordinary home. The 12,205-square-foot mansion, the largest in the neighborhood, is modeled after the Palace of Versailles, where Marie Antoinette once lived. And it is a work of art.
"This opulent estate," the listing explains, "has carefully selected rare and luxurious features, including imported blue French marble countertops, gold bathroom fixtures, and historic chandeliers.
If you are fortunate enough to be invited to the property, you will be greeted by a full-service bar in the foyer as soon as you walk in the front door. Beyond that, the residence is fit for royalty, with soaring ceilings, marble columns, intricately patterned hardwood floors, and glittering antique lighting overhead.
"French marble and brick materials were imported from Italy for construction and design, valued in the millions," the blog adds.
The house also has five fireplaces and, what's more, a secret staircase.
The professional kitchen has high-end appliances, a butler's pantry (complete with a Swiss bank safe to keep valuable dishes safe), and dumb waiters.
Three elevators transport you to the wine cellar, guest suite, library, and secure basement closet with Titanic-inspired woodwork. This is more important than one might imagine, given that a man twice trespassed into Harry and Meghan's mansion last December. There is also a caretaker's quarters and a home gym with sauna and steam room.
Outside, there is a rose garden centered around a 1,000-year-old Carrara marble fountain. But it is not just a flower garden. The roses planted at the château are a luxury variety patented by the estate and not grown anywhere else in the world.
There is also a custom-built inlaid swimming pool, an outdoor kitchen, a sculpted hedge maze, and an eight-hole putting green. And it is all set against a gorgeous backdrop of the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains. The stores and restaurants of Montecito are only minutes away, so even if you aren't invited to the Sussexes' home, you might catch Megan out shopping in the neighborhood.
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