Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have ‘endless gratitude’ to Tyler Perry for providing ‘safe haven’

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are ‘really grateful to Tyler Perry for his kindness’ after he provided them with a ‘safe haven during a complicated time’, a source told People magazine.

The Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 39, stayed at the American actor’s $18million, 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom Beverly Hills home following their move from Canada, after stepping down as senior royals in March.

They have since bought a sprawling nine-bedroom and 16-bathroom mansion in upscale Montecito, Santa Barbara, for $14.65million on June 18, making them neighbors with celebrities Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres, according to DailyMail.com. 

But the couple, who share son Archie, one, together, won’t forget Tyler’s generosity, according to the insider.

‘They’re really grateful to Tyler Perry for his kindness,’ said the source, who is reportedly close to the pair. ‘They have endless gratitude to him for helping them during a complicated time.’

They added: ‘With COVID and as they were stepping back from their royal duties, he provided them a safe haven.’

Tyler is close friends with Oprah, who lives just a few miles away from where the couple now reside. He is also represented by some of the same people representing the duo.

‘While it was a nice favor to them at a very difficult time, Tyler Perry’s house with 18 bedrooms isn’t Harry’s style. Yes, he grew up in royalty and the halls of Buckingham Palace, but he prefers more intimate homes with character,’ a Page Six source previously shared. 

Meghan and Harry’s new home sits on 5.4 acres of land and immaculately clipped hedges border the estate’s stone-pillared entry gates. 

Property listings say the home took nearly five years to build and included a library, office, spa with a separate dry and wet sauna, a gym with a stripper pole, game room, arcade, theater, wine cellar and five-car garage. 

The entrance to the property opens onto a wide lane paved with hand-cut Santa Barbara Stone that leads through a grand archway of trees to the main residence, according to Zillow. 

The estate has sweeping lawns, tiered rose gardens, tall Italian cypress trees, blooming lavender, century old olive trees, a tennis court, tea house, children’s cottage and a pool. 

It also boasts a two-bedroom, two-bath guest house, perfect for Meghan’s mother Doria, who is acting as one-year-old Archie’s nanny. Doria has already been to the house, TMZ reports.

The home’s seller is thought to be Russian tycoon Sergey Grishin who bought the ‘palatial’ mansion for more than $25million in 2009 and had tried to sell the home for up to $34million before eventually accepting a loss.

Grishin is also the former owner of a different California estate – known as the Scarface mansion because it appeared in the 1983 Al Pacino movie – which sold for a similarly cut-price $12million in 2015. 

Surrounded by lush green gardens and overlooking the sea, the home has been described as a ‘hidden paradise’.

One estate agent who spent an hour inside said it was ‘designed for someone who never wants to leave home’.

Brett Buschbom said: ‘I went through this house and an hour later I’m coming out like ‘wow’, the whole bottom floor felt like a resort with steam room, massage room, sauna, Jacuzzi, full bar, arcade and one of the most amazing wine cellars and that was just the basement.’

The Sussexes are said to have been living in the house for the last six weeks, after moving 90 miles along the coast from a mansion in Los Angeles where they were house guests.