Reportedly, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's move to a Santa Barbara mansion has given them a chance to restart social and romantic lives — without the limitations of royalty and the intrusions of the media. As People has reported, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have begun to dine out in the California city and their home community of Montecito. At times, they've done so alone as well as with friends.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have private dates in California

According to a source close to the couple, Harry and Meghan have not locked themselves indoors at their new home in Santa Barbara. On the contrary, the couple has taken advantage of privacy in their new neighbourhood, resuming their social lives.

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visit Canada House in 2020.

"No one really bothers them," a source told People for its upcoming issue. "Sometimes they do solo dates and sometimes with friends." 

The statements come days after reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dined on Oct. 6 at Lucky's Steakhouse with their friends Katharine McPhee and David Foster. The occasion was Harry and Meghan's first such social outing covered in Santa Barbara. 

Harry and Meghan's privacy battle in California

It's well known that one of the principal motivations behind Harry and Meghan's move to California was to find privacy not afforded by their royal lives. But that didn't come to fruition while they were living in Los Angeles.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle upon arrival at the Endeavor Fund Awards in 2019.

Earlier this week, People's source likewise shared that Prince Harry hopes to give Archie the "childhood he always wanted" — one distanced from the media scandals and personal tragedies that marked his own early life. 

The Sussexes earlier struggled to maintain privacy for Archie at their former L.A. home, even suing paparazzi who took illegal drone photographs of the 1-year-old.

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