After their much anticipated public appearance with Prince William and Kate Middleton for Remembrance Sunday on Nov. 10, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be taking a six-week break from their official royal duties. They are reportedly going to spend most of that time in America with their six-month old son, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. Actually, according to a royal insider, they have some pretty exciting plans while stateside: Harry and Meghan will visit Oprah Winfrey, the Queen of All Media, amid the fallout from their ITV documentary.
The couple will reportedly pay Oprah a visit at her sprawling 42-acre ranch in Montecito. "Oprah will be hosting Harry and Meghan for a short stay," said the insider. "They have become quite friendly since the wedding and the duke has a television project in the works with Oprah, so it's something of a working vacation while they visit."
Earlier this year, Harry announced on the Instragram account he shares with Meghan, @SussexRoyal, that he and Winfrey had joined forces to produce a multi-part documentary series on mental health, set to premiere on Apple TV+ in 2020. In the official announcement, Harry said he was "incredibly proud" to be working alongside the television legend on the "vital" series.
And it's not the first time Winfrey will play host to members of Meghan's family, either. In June 2018, Winfrey told ET Online that she hosted Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, at her ranch for an afternoon and the women did yoga on her lawn and had lunch. Winfrey denied reports she showered Meghan's mother with gifts in an attempt to win an interview with her or her daughter, but did admit to sending her guest home with a basket of homegrown kumquats.
As far as American royalty goes, Winfrey and her property in Montecito may be the closest thing the U.S. has to a queen and her castle. The estate includes a 23,000-square-foot mansion with six bedrooms and 14 bathrooms as well as a "sanctuary" garden and her very own tea house. "Oprah offers the duke and duchess the privacy they have been wanting for some time now," said my source. "Harry and Meghan are looking forward to relaxing in the California sun with Archie and what better place than on Oprah's legendarily private and beautiful property."
One New York media insider noted that "Harry and Meghan love the celebrity life, and with Oprah, they get to live it up away from public view and Oprah gets to cement her friendship with the two most famous people in the world right now." The insider added: "I wouldn't be surprised if Gayle King [Winfrey's longtime best friend] is there and drops a few tidbits about it on her morning show [CBS This Morning], like she did with the baby shower."
Of course, the reported hobnobbing will only take place after Harry and Meghan first stop by Los Angeles to celebrate Archie's (and Harry's) first Thanksgiving with Ragland. There have been reports that the couple will also spend time shopping for a second home in California and are rumored to be looking at properties in Malibu. (How swanky!) And for more special moments between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, here are Harry and Meghan's Most Adorable Couple Moments.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
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