Prince Harry has reportedly just joined a private helicopter club in California so he can fly his wife Meghan Markle and their son Archie around.

Harry, 36, qualified as an Apache helicopter commander in 2013, and he is reportedly eager to keep his helicopter license current up-to-date, or it won’t be renewed.

“Harry has joined a local flying club in California so that he can keep his helicopter license current,” a source told The Sun. “You know you have to do a number of hours per year otherwise your licence won’t be renewed, and that applies in the US as much as it does in the UK.”

“He’s very proud of that license; he worked hard to get first the basic and then the Apache,” a friend of Harry’s added. “He’s hardly likely to be recalled for military service in England again but he wants to keep the hours up for personal use, so he and Meghan can just take off for expeditions if they want to. Having your own license gives you that freedom.”

The source went on to say that Harry doesn’t have his own helicopter, “at least yet”, but added that there “will be plenty of rich benefactors with helicopters who would love the royal association.”

Harry and Meghan shocked the world earlier this year when they stepped down as senior members of the British royal family. They then briefly moved to Canada before relocating to Meghan’s hometown of Los Angeles, where they spent months living in the $18 million mansion of Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry. Despite this, a source denied that Harry and Meghan ever even considered buying a home in L.A., saying that their situation there was always temporary.

“Harry and Meghan never intended to make Los Angeles their home,” the insider explained. “It was a good place for them to be upon their arrival in the US to be close to Meghan’s mom [who lives in LA].”

A source told PEOPLE magazine that this move is a “pivotal moment” for Harry, Meghan, and their 1 year-old son Archie.

“This is their permanent home,” the insider said. “Ever since Archie arrived, everything has been so turbulent, and many things have been up in the air. It has not been easy, necessarily. For the first time in a long time, they have a clear focus.”

The source added that Santa Barbara is the perfect place to raise their son and give him a sense of normalcy.

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“They both love California, and Santa Barbara has a magic to it — the mountains, oceans, vineyards, flowers, gardens,” the source explained. “It’s so beautiful.”

This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.

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