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Meet Tom and Sherrie Cipolla, whose home stars in Meghan Markle’s Netflix show: the Montecito locals lent the duchess their property for filming the cooking series – so she didn’t have to use her own

Meghan Markle rented Tom and Sherrie Cipolla’s Montecito property for her new Netflix show With Love, Meghan. Photo: AFP; @cipolla_thomas/Instagram
Meghan Markle rented Tom and Sherrie Cipolla’s Montecito property for her new Netflix show With Love, Meghan. Photo: AFP; @cipolla_thomas/Instagram

The Duchess of Sussex’s ‘at home with Meghan’ style Netflix show features appearances by Mindy Kaling and Abigail Spencer – but not the estate she shares with Prince Harry, Archie and Lilibet

Actress-turned-duchess Meghan Markle is now eyeing the title of domestic goddess. The Duchess of Sussex is set to debut her new Netflix series With Love, Meghan on January 15, hoping to share a slice of her ultra-luxurious lifestyle with fans.
Joined by celebrity guests including Mindy Kaling and Abigail Spencer, the reality show, which is part of the couple’s US$100 million Netflix deal, follows the former working royal as she tends to her garden, cooks up a storm in an opulent kitchen, and even harvests her own honey straight from the source.

The only problem is, viewers don’t really get to be “at home with Meghan”, as the streaming giant suggests on its promotional page for the show. Instead, they are directed to a more humble, US$8 million farmhouse that’s in fact a couple of miles from Meghan’s US$14 million Montecito home. The venue was reportedly picked for its “average rustic-look vibe” instead of the duchess’ more sprawling property, which she shares with Prince Harry and their children Archie and Lilibet, per the New York Post.

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The rented homestead, known as the Montecito Orchard Private Estate, is owned by Montecito mainstays Tom and Sherrie Cipolla, according to the Daily Mail. It is currently available for hosting private events such as weddings, according to its Instagram page.

Not much public information is available about the Cipollas – but here’s everything we do know about them.

They are philanthropists

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at a gala honouring actor and director Tyler Perry, who once let the couple live with him. Photo: AFP
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at a gala honouring actor and director Tyler Perry, who once let the couple live with him. Photo: AFP

The Cipollas are evidently affluent but they are also known for their contributions to society. The wealthy elderly couple, said to be in their 70s, make it a point to give back to the community and have made a name for themselves locally as a result, according to the Daily Mail.

They have an impressive real estate portfolio

The Montecito Orchard Private Estate is flanked by lemon and avocado trees. Photo: @montecitoorchard/Instagram
The Montecito Orchard Private Estate is flanked by lemon and avocado trees. Photo: @montecitoorchard/Instagram

The Cipollas own an oceanside property at Rancho Palos Verdes in California in addition to the mansion that appears in Markle’s show, per the Montecito Journal. According to the Daily Mail, they also own a physiotherapy practice with an annual turnover of US$1.3 million.

What have they said about Meghan Markle?