Blink and you might have missed it: In the Oprah Winfrey special featuring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, a lot of jaw-dropping details were shared about their lives as royals before their official exit back in January 2020. Still, we couldn't help but focus in on something adorable—and pretty damn poignant—in the background of their conversations: Archie’s Chick Inn.
It was the only glimpse that we got of the Montecito property in Santa Barbara, California, which the pair bought for millions last year after relocating from the U.K. to Canada and finally settling down in L.A. (Oprah confirmed herself that, even though she’s neighbors with the Sussexes, they borrowed a friend’s house to shoot the special, which aired last weekend on CBS.)
This meant Archie’s Chick Inn was our only window into their new world. It also became the backdrop for some of Harry and Meghan’s biggest (but perhaps less shocking by comparison) revelations—like the fact that Meghan actually married Prince Harry privately a few days before their public ceremony at Windsor Castle or that Meghan felt a cryptic kinship with Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid after recognizing that, just like herself, Ariel had married a prince and lost her voice.
But this chicken coop—playfully run by Archie—and home to several hens that were rescued from a factory farm, was full of optimism and representative of the couple’s efforts to “get back down to basics” (as Meghan described) as they work to build their new post-royal life. The sign even read, “established 2021.” When Oprah pressed Meghan on the chicken coop, she quite simply explained: “I just love rescuing.”
Of course, we still have so many questions. For one, what *is* Archie’s role in managing this Chick Inn? (He turns 2 in May, so clearly he’s likely to participate and help his parents quite a bit.) Also, who’s behind the clever name? (Anyone else watch and think, “Brilliant. Whoever came up with that deserves a raise.”)
Either way, it was a light-hearted moment in a conversation full of very serious revelations. Shout-out to the Sussexes for their creativity.
