A month after their romantic wedding celebration, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took their place alongside Queen Elizabeth at the recent Royal Ascot horse races. The happy couple — both wearing festive hats as per tradition — looked quite bashful when they received a huge cheer from the 300,000 spectators who lined up to watch the procession. These are sweet days for the newlyweds, who have embraced their public duties while privately planning for their future.

Now Harry, 33, and his American bride, 36, have located the perfect country getaway in the Cotswolds, a rural area of south central England famous for its rolling green hills and lavish estates. Their new home, which will be completed next year, will provide them with an escape from prying eyes and official obligations. “Meghan and Harry love the picturesque landscape and peacefulness,” an insider confides to Closer. “They will be able to get the privacy they need there.”

Meghan and Harry aren’t strangers to the region’s bucolic charms. They spent the weekend before their wedding relaxing at a rented estate in the Cotswolds, where celebrities like soccer star David Beckham and his wife, Victoria Beckham, also have second homes. “It doesn’t have much of a party scene,” notes the insider.

Still, the couple’s new retreat “will be close to their favorite hangout — the exclusive private club Soho Farmhouse, where both royals had their bachelor and bachelorette parties.” The pair is also likely to become regulars at the popular Falkland Arms pub. “Harry and Meghan are looking forward to Sunday lunches there and drinking wine by the fire,” the insider says.

The design for the couple’s country getaway indicates they expect to do a lot of entertaining at home, too. The stone manor house, which will be built on a 13-acre property ironically named Beggars Lodge, will boast “three reception rooms and a high-tech media room,” says royals expert James McCourt. “At the rear end of the house, it’s thought there will be a flagstone terrace and a 150-foot lawn lined with ornamental yew trees.”

kensington palace

Above all, Beggars Lodge will be a family place with plenty of space for children. In addition to six bedrooms, the plans include an apartment for a nanny and room for additional staff. “Meghan and Harry will still be based in Kensington Palace but will use this country house as an escape for long weekends or when there’s a gap in between royal duties,” says the insider. “It’s only a couple of hours drive from London.”

As Harry and Meghan prepare for this next chapter in their marriage, they can’t help but dream of the happy times to come. “They lead such hectic lives,” says the insider, “so they’re excited about creating a royal retreat away from all the craziness of life.”

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