14 September 2026 , 19:35
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Meghan Markle has been seen driving in the Cotswolds for the first time since her move to the UK.
The Duchess of Sussex was spotted behind the wheel of a large SUV on a solo outing in the nearby area, according to Hello magazine.
Meghan, 45, was driving without Prince Harry by her side – a notably uncommon sight for the former actress, who spent the past six years residing in Montecito, California.
It was reported ahead of the couple’s May 2018 wedding that the duke had been giving his then-fiancée driving lessons on British roads.
It comes merely days after Meghan’s first glimpse into her family life in the Cotswolds, as she shared home footage of them enjoying countryside strolls as a family.
The 35-second montage captures Harry, Meghan and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, embracing country life at their new Cotswolds home.
Footage shows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex strolling hand in hand through woodland in Wellington boots, the children tramping through muddy puddles, and the family out on a lake in a rowing boat with Harry rigging up a fishing rod.
Their Labrador Pula also features prominently, bounding along a fern-lined path.
The clip was captioned with nothing more than a Union flag and a red heart emoji.
The Sussexes are understood to be residing in a non-royal property outside London, with reports pointing to the Cotswolds as their new base.
The area is familiar territory – during their first stint in Britain, they rented a property in Great Tew alongside their principal residence at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.
It also provides an idyllic country bolthole for the family, given the proximity of royals nearby.
Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate in Minchinhampton could be nearby, while her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, live on the same estate.
Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, own a six-bedroom farmhouse valued at £3.5million, also in the Cotswolds.
And, of course, the King’s Highgrove Estate – where the monarch was reunited with his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet after four long years – is also located within the Cotswolds.
The Sussexes’ Montecito mansion, in which they resided between 2020 and their shock return to the UK last month, remains theirs; however, speculation is mounting that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are gearing up to offload their California home.
Village Properties, the estate agency that previously handled the sale of the mansion, reports receiving a flood of enquiries from ultra-wealthy individuals keen to snap up the property.
Staff say billionaires are ringing on a daily basis, with some hoping to live in the home and others eyeing the possibility of demolishing it to extend their own neighbouring estates.
The rumours come despite previous reports that Meghan was looking to take on a more international role, flying to and from California, where she runs her lifestyle brand As Ever.
World Affairs Correspondent