Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with chat show queen and neighbour Oprah Winfrey caused a sensation last month, revealing details of their split with the British Royal Family. It was reportedly filmed in a secret location near the couple's plush mansion, which is just a six-minute drive down the road from Oprah's sprawling Promised Land estate, said to be worth more than $100 million. Click or scroll for more...
The duo have reportedly grown close to the talk show legend but she didn't give them an easy ride, asking personal questions about their experiences. She also visited their house, as Meghan showed her the chicken coop of rescued battery hens on the grounds. Let's take a look at these surprising celebrity neighbours and explore Oprah's estate, a mere stone's throw away from Harry and Meghan's residence.
Described by Jonny Dymond, the BBC's royal correspondent, as 'a very close acquaintance' of Harry and Meghan, Oprah was invited to the pair's royal nuptials on 19 May 2018, when they tied the knot in a palatial wedding at Windsor Castle. The couple stepped down as senior royals in March 2020, upping sticks from Windsor to California, where they purchased their Montecito mansion around the corner from Oprah's main estate. No doubt she offered the duo, who are expecting their second child, a warm welcome to the neighborhood.
But Meghan and Harry are far from the only A-listers that Oprah counts among her neighbors. Something of a celebrity property hotspot, the enclave of Montecito in Santa Barbara County is a big hit among celebrities searching for privacy and breathtaking scenery. Other stars with homes in the area include Ariana Grande, Rob Lowe and Ellen DeGeneres, though Oprah's $100 million Promised Land estate is the grandest by some way...
Back in 2001 Oprah was invited to a party at this dreamy estate in the idyllic village of Montecito near Santa Barbara and instantly fell in love with the tranquil 42-acre property, so much so that she used her formidable powers of persuasion to get the owners Robert and Marlene Veloz to sell up – the estate wasn't actually on the market – and wasted no time writing out a check for almost $52 million.
Worth more than $88 million, the glorious Promised Land estate spans 70 acres thanks to some canny deals on neighboring properties. At its center is Oprah's 23,000-square-foot mansion, an impressive neo-Georgian pile, and the amazing landscaped grounds include rose gardens, terraces and fountains.
As her forever home, Promised Land is where Oprah and her long-term boyfriend Stedman Graham love to spend time. Beautifully decorated and filled with mementos, books and artwork, it's been lovingly put together over the years. Oprah runs her business empire from here too, and is often posting pictures at home with her dogs on her Instagram page.
In order to make the dining room space more welcoming and relaxing, Oprah gave it – and the rest of the mansion – a huge makeover. Out went striped wallpaper and ornate antique furniture, replaced with a beige color scheme, cream New England-style dresser and comfy upholstered chairs.
The kitchen is the heart of Oprah's mansion, a place where her friends can congregate and kick back. The TV legend had the fireplace and pizza oven removed to free up more space, but left everything else as it was. All in all the jaw-dropping mansion boasts several living rooms, a library, kitchen, two home theaters, a wine cellar, an office, six bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.
As you can imagine, celebrities love a walk-in closet and Oprah is no different. With regular TV appearances and public appearances for her charity work and many business ventures, the media mogul needs to look the part. This smart room with fitted cabinets is where she stores her extensive clothing collection and she regularly shares videos with her followers while she's packing for one of her many trips around the world.
Oprah's renowned love of books makes itself felt in almost every room of the house, including her beautiful study. In addition to the sprawling neo-Georgian mansion, Oprah's estate comprises orchards, a koi pond, tennis courts, a pool and pool house, as well as a two-bedroom Craftsman-style guest house spanning 4,000 square feet. With a reported net worth of $2.6 billion, it's no surprise that Oprah has accumulated such a vast compound, not to mention the rest of her luxury residences.
Aside from her sprawling Promised Land property, Oprah has collected her fair share of luxury homes over the years. Born and raised in Mississippi, the star has come a long way from the humble wood-frame shack she grew up in. Starting out as a local television reporter, her acclaimed program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, ran for an impressive 25 years. Throughout her career, she's snapped up an array of amazing homes, from a tropical Hawaiian hideaway to a remote island retreat. Let's take a look at the rest of her real estate empire...
In 2003, Oprah paid $5.3 million on two parcels of land on the Hawaiian island of Maui totaling 23.7 acres, not to mention a modest gray farmhouse, which she has since transformed into a ravishing vacation home. Over the years, the TV icon has bought up acres of land and at least a dozen buildings in Maui, and is reported to have spent a total of $60 million in the process.
She also loves hosting family and friends for island vacations. This happy holiday snap of Oprah, Stedman (left) and her friends at Christmas, gives a little glimpse of her signature style, with clean, bright interior décor. Even the tree can't top it!
Oprah's love of curated curios and nature is perfectly captured in this little tabletop display at her Maui holme. Fresh fern leaves and a scented candle sit next to a frame in her favorite cream color. We love the wall sconce too!
Oprah snapped up a whopping 60 acres of land in the ski resort of Telluride in Colorado in 2014 and a year later acquired a sensational five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom contemporary ski chalet, which she bought from tech entrepreneur Bob Wall for $14 million in a deal that included all furnishings.
The Queen of TV is an avid skier and has joyfully likened the pastime to being able to fly, so it was only a matter of time before she snagged a holiday home near the slopes. The living room is the most jaw-dropping space in the 8,700-square-foot property. It wows with a double-height ceiling with wood paneling, dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows and a huge stone fireplace.
The house, which has been decked out with state-of-the-art smart technology that controls everything from the security to the lighting and heating, also features a family room with a library – an essential for its book-loving owner – billiards table and a movie projection screen that drops down from the ceiling and disappears when not in use.
Rocking fine wood cabinetry and stainless steel countertops, the open-plan kitchen is nice and spacious. Exposed steel beams lend the space a hip industrial feel though the warm wood cupboards and rustic stone wall prevent it from looking cold and clinical. The kitchen leads into a dining area that can seat up to eight people.
Talk about a house with a secret! It comes with a fabulous wine mine is its piece-de-resistance. The 56-foot cellar, which can store up to 1,600 bottles, was designed to resemble an old mine. It delights with a rusty old ore car and track and is tricked out with a sound system that plays sounds of dripping water and creaking wood to add to the ambience.
Other highlights of the ultra-modern property include a $150,000 glass walkway with fiber optic lights that change color, a bathroom that contains a $70,000 tub with an inline heating system that keeps water consistently warm, a smoke sauna and best of all, a private funicular railway that is reported to have cost $240,000.
Oprah expanded her Montecito real estate portfolio in December 2016 when she purchased the neighboring property, a 23-acre equestrian estate called Seamair Farm. The talkshow luminary parted with $28.9 million to acquire the estate, which contains a single-story ranch house that was designed by architect Cliff May and completed in 1955.
May has been dubbed the Father of the Californian ranch house, which is considered the postwar suburban dream home, and Oprah's pad is an excellent example of the style he developed. The mid-century masterpiece has a wood-siding-clad exterior and an open-concept interior with four bedrooms, five-and-half bathrooms, a wine cellar and a total of four fireplaces.
Given Oprah owns a sizable mansion next door, it's unlikely she actually lives in the house, which is probably used as office space, staff quarters or to accommodate the many guests she welcomes. They are bound to appreciate the ranch house's secluded swimming pool, which is surrounded by a lush tropical-inspired garden.
The property also features three bijou residences that are no doubt used to house staff or guests. The estate's equestrian facilities are top-notch and have been meticulously maintained as you can see from this shot of one of the riding ring. Note the manicured lawns and octagonal gazebo at its center.
The cherry on the cake is this picturesque koi pond with lush water-loving reeds and ornamental touches. The property also came with two private water wells to boot, very useful for keeping things green during the hot California summers.
Oprah's next big real estate buy came in the summer of 2018 when the billionaire media magnate paid a bargain $8.3 million for a 43-acre waterfront estate called Madroneagle on Washington's Orcas Island, a magnet for the ultra-wealthy craving peace and solitude. The property, which was first put on the market in 2016, was listed for just under $12 million.
Former owner Kathleen Dickinson McDowell was by all accounts thrilled to sell the property to Oprah who she felt would be a great caretaker. Blending in beautifully with its surroundings, the main 8,000-square-foot house, which was designed by Dickinson McDowell and her late husband, was built using reclaimed wood and local sandstone, making it a wonderfully sustainable home.
The eco mansion, which is nestled within a calming Asian-style garden, has a total of four bedrooms and five bathrooms, and looks out onto its very own beach. The home's open-plan living room is simply divine. The high-ceilinged space seriously impresses with reclaimed beams, exposed stone walls and an enormous fireplace. Interestingly, the floorboards were gleaned from the original Sears building in Oprah's former stomping ground of Chicago.
The kitchen is totaly Oprah-worthy and hands-down a fantastic space for the TV tycoon to hone her culinary skills – cooking is one of her favorite hobbies after all. Its standout features range from an enormous wood-fired pizza oven to a massive center island and charmingly mismatched country-style cabinetry.
Book-loving Oprah would have obviously been very taken with the home's snug reading nook. The comfy space, which is fitted with a number of capacious bookcases and dressers, looks like an exceedingly pleasant space in which to get lost in a gripping novel or flick through a magazine or two.
The home's bedrooms are just as cozy and this one delights with heart-stopping waterfront views. Madroneagle's other selling points, which Oprah clearly couldn't resist, include a wine cellar, fitness center and music studio. Reports suggest the Queen of All Media plans to stay at the property at least two weeks per year.
Oprah's latest acquisition is actor Jeff Bridges' former home in Montecito. Like Seamair Farm, the ranch, which spans four acres, borders the Promised Land estate. The TV legend clinched the deal in November 2019, paying just under $6.9 million to secure the property adjacent to her own.
Oprah got herself another bargain having paid the same price Bridges bought the ranch for in 2014, though the actor spent a fortune remodeling the Spanish Revival home following a landslide in 2018 that caused extensive damage. In fact, the property was originally listed by Bridges for almost $8 million.
Bridges carried out a tasteful restoration of the house, which was designed by celebrated Californian architect James Osbourne Graig and constructed in 1919. This living room with its whitewashed walls, vaulted wooden ceiling, large lattice windows and generously sized fireplace has a minimal, elegant yet cozy feel.
The rustic yet pared-back style continues in the kitchen. We're sure Oprah adores the wooden ceiling that features several skylights, along with the custom wood cabinetry and the marble-topped center island. Like the impeccable living room, the kitchen is simple and minimal though manages to be a warm and inviting space.
The classy theme carries into the master suite. The room enchants with exposed beams, bay windows and French doors that lead into the blissful backyard. The suite also features a supersized walk-in closet and bathroom, which contains a deep-soaking tub to relax and unwind in.
Outside there's a pool and spa area, pool house and red brick terrace, as well as a carriage house that serves as an art studio, and an all-important private well. On top of the real estate eye candy we've featured, Oprah is said to own a couple of modest properties in Chicago and Nashville, as well as two vacation homes in the Caribbean, and possibly additional holdings we don't know about. We're impressed!
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