Meghan May Want to Upgrade Harry, Jokes Author: 'Elon Musk Is Still Single'

Meghan Markle could be looking to upgrade from Prince Harry to Elon Musk, a prominent royal biographer has joked.

Tina Brown, the former editor of Vanity Fair and author of The Palace Papers and Diana Chronicles, recently discussed Meghan and Harry at the Henley Literary Festival in the United Kingdom.

The author referenced a number of recent reports that claim the couple is looking to move from their Montecito mansion to the more exclusive and secure community of Hope Ranch in Santa Barbara, California.

The move would keep the couple near their son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor's pre-school and within 15 miles of the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club where Harry's polo team, Los Padres plays.

"At some point, it might be more than a new house she's looking for," Brown joked about Meghan, adding: "Elon Musk is still single, that's all I have to say."

On the potential reasoning behind the move, Brown alluded to the fact that Harry and Meghan may wish to keep up with their social circle.

"It's not very pleasant to be a D-list celebrity who, for them, doesn't have enough money," she said. "It's a wholly different game to be with those super-rich people. In Montecito, where they live, their $14 million mansion is a humble cottage compared to what these other people have."

The Hope Ranch estate may be of particular appeal to Harry and Meghan because of its increased seclusion and security, royal expert Christine Ross told Newsweek.

"Hope Ranch is reportedly more private and secure than their current neighborhood in Montecito, which is full of celebrity neighbors," she said. "An area like Montecito is undoubtedly full of security concerns, from tourists to paparazzi peering to get a look at the many celebrities who live in the area. There have been several reports of calls to police at the Sussex's home, so I'm sure this move would be made with security in mind."

The couple's residence in the A-list-filled enclave boasts a number of the world's biggest names as neighbors, including Oprah Winfrey. The couple famously gave their first joint interview since stepping down as working royals in 2020 to Winfrey.

The Sussexes moved to California after spending time on the west coast of Canada in the immediate aftermath of their working separation from the royal family. From there, they were offered the home of actor and producer Tyler Perry in Beverly Hills where he also provided security for the couple and their son.

Meghan recently opened up about Perry's offer in an interview with Allison P. Davis for New York Magazine's The Cut site.

"Though Meghan had never met Tyler Perry in person, he had reached out when she and Harry got married to tell her that he was praying for her 'and that he understood what this meant,' Meghan recalls, referring to the symbolic weight of their wedding, 'and that he could only imagine what it was like,'" Davis wrote.

"He also told Meghan to call if she ever needed support or advice. It took her a long time to do so, she admits. But once she did, she found herself telling him every detail of their situation..."

Meghan also discussed finding the home she currently shares with Harry in the interview.

"We were looking in this area," she said, "and this house kept popping up online in searches...We didn't have jobs, so we just were not going to come and see this house. It wasn't possible. It's like when I was younger and you're window shopping—it's like, I don't want to go and look at all the things that I can't afford. That doesn't feel good."

One aspect of the home that the couple gravitated towards was a twin palm tree growing in the garden.

"One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees," Meghan said. "See how they're connected at the bottom? He goes, 'My love, it's us.'  And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, 'Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa.'"

Though the couple seemed perfectly happy with their home at the time of the interview, there could be a number of factors prompting a potential move— the primary of these reasons, as Ross told Newsweek, being security.

The privacy-conscious couple's security team reported at least two trespassing violations on the Montecito property this year, with the incidents happening within 12 days of one another.

This is not the first incident of its kind to take place, and earlier this year the Santa Barbara area was also put on alert that a wild mountain lion had been spotted near rural residences.

Newsweek reached out to representatives of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for comment.

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