Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were called local villains by their neighbors in a posh Californian town
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry they are reportedly referred to as local villains by neighbors of the posh Californian town the couple fled to after leaving their royal roles behind.
One Montecito resident, who never met the couple, but spoke with them Vanity Fairhe described the duo as a prince and a “starlet”.
Neighbors of the quiet Santa Barbara area attribute many of the new annoyances to Markle and Prince Harry, including rising housing prices, busy streets and more.
The neighborhood has seen much more tourist traffic since Markle and Harry’s arrival in 2020, anonymous residents told the outlet. Vanity Fair also reported that several people they spoke to noted that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had become local villains.
MEGHAN MARKLE POSTPONED EDITION OF LIFESTYLE SERIES DUE TO CALIFORNIA FIRES
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were called local villains in their Montecito neighborhood, writes Vanity Fair. (Fox News Digital)
“You know, that eye [Meghan and Harry] It’s so great that they didn’t come here to live from our community. They came here to be part of our community.”
Markle’s latest business venture, Orchard of the American Rivieraalso located in Montecito, Vanity Fair reported. According to the outlet, a book published in 1898 by the Southern Pacific Company rail lines states, “Montecito is known as America’s Riviera.” However, that honor reportedly now belongs to Santa Barbara.
“It’s kind of bullshit,” the resident told Vanity Fair. “It’s just finding every possible way to monetize something.
“I still think they are the most disingenuous people on the planet who have the most rights,” the resident added. “They moved out of England to escape press scrutiny, and all they’re doing is trying to get into the press in the United States.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t the only celebrities living in Montecito. (Chris Jackson)
Meanwhile, the arrival of the couple was praised by their famous neighbor Sharon Stone.
“You know, what’s so great about them is that they didn’t come here to live off our community. They came here to be part of our community,” she told Access to Hollywood in 2020
“My friend said she was sitting in her car and they were cycling across the street and waving at her while she was sitting at a red light,” she recalled. “They are part of our community. They have become a part of our community that gives, cares and participates. They’re not here to say, ‘Will you kiss my ass?'”
Montecito has been home to several celebrities, including Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Adam Levine, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Keaton and Oprah.
The door to the estate where Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle live in Montecito. (Getty Images)
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Despite moving to the United States five years ago after stepping back from his senior roles in royal life, Prince Harry reportedly has no social life outside of his nuclear family.
“[Meghan] has been open about the fact that Harry hasn’t made a lot of friends yet,” a source, who previously interacted with Markle professionally, told Vanity Fair.
Markle and Prince Harry got down to business and landed a fantastic deal with Netflix a few months after making Montecito their home in 2020. They first released their documentaries, “Harry and Meghan,” 2022 The series earned the largest one-day audience for any Netflix series since it began tracking in October 2022. A year later, they followed up with the docuseries “Heart of Invictus” in 2023 and produced “Polo” in 2024.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to California in 2020. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation)
However, multiple sources have been described Markle and Prince Harry like he has “really great ideas” for shows that never get made.
“I don’t think Harry knows what he wants because he grew up in a fish market, so he doesn’t know what real life is,” an insider who has worked with the couple on media projects told Vanity Fair. “I think he probably wants to be left alone and be able to go kiss babies every now and then but not have to worry about money. I don’t think he wants to be famous like Meghan wants to be famous.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 2021 at the home of a friend of Winfrey’s in Santa Barbara County, California. (Harpo production)
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Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
