The day is finally here: Meghan Markle‘s new series, With Love, Meghan, is now streaming on Netflix. While watching the show, you might notice that the backdrop of each episode isn’t actually the home she shares with husband Prince Harry in Montecito – it’s actually a rental house. In a new (and rare) interview, Meghan is explaining why she decided to keep the camera crew out of her family home.
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Meghan wanted to ‘protect’ her family’s home.
She and Harry have been all about privacy since walking away from their lives and work as senior royals more than five years ago, and that hasn’t changed – especially because she sees their home as her and her family’s “safe haven,” as Meghan told People in an interview published on Monday.
“I wanted to protect that safe haven,” she said. “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. Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that’s a lot of people to have in your house!”
She’s happy to open her home to friends and neighbors, though.
Now that she’s settled and part of the community in Santa Barbara, she’s been able to make friends – women who are “stay-at-home moms and working women with normal jobs, not in the public eye.”
“We went from just connecting through our kids to having girls’ night out or doing Pilates together,” she said.
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As a host, Meghan thrives.
She even said she hosted a “little camp” for the neighborhood kids to give their parents a bit of a reprieve during winter break.
“We had several days with different families at our home, and we were able to get to know the parents better, and all the kids could play,” she said, adding, “It’s a dream. But I also know that being part of a community means you put effort into it.”
It seems like the love is certainly mutual.
One friend of Meghan’s who talked to People said that as a family, she, Harry, and their children are “all very connected,” and shared that Meghan sent over a gift from Archie and Lili when her son had surgery. She also didn’t hesitate to come to her birthday party even though she didn’t know any of the other people there.
“It was just fun and natural. She was very comfortable just chilling,” the friend told the magazine.
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
