Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly are known as native villains by neighbors of the ritzy California city the couple fled to after leaving their royal roles behind.
One Montecito resident, who has by no means met the couple however spoke to Self-importance Honest, referred to the duo because the prince and “the starlet.”
The neighbors of the quiet Santa Barbara space attribute lots of the new annoyances to Markle and Prince Harry, together with elevated housing costs, busy streets and extra.
The neighborhood has seen way more vacationer site visitors since Markle and Harry’s arrival in 2020, nameless residents instructed the outlet. Self-importance Honest additionally reported that a number of individuals they spoke with famous the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have change into native villains.
Markle’s newest enterprise endeavor, American Riviera Orchard, can be positioned in Montecito, Self-importance Honest reported. In line with the outlet, a e book revealed by the Southern Pacific Firm rail traces in 1898 states, “The Montecito is known as the American Riviera.” Nonetheless, that honor reportedly now belongs to Santa Barbara.
“It’s such a kind of hucksterism,” a resident instructed Self-importance Honest. “It’s simply discovering each method she will to monetize one thing.
“I still think they’re the most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet,” the resident added. “They moved away from England to get away from the scrutiny of the press, and all they do is try and get in the press in the United States.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for remark.
In the meantime, the couple’s arrival has been praised by their superstar neighbor, Sharon Stone.
“You know, the thing about them that is so great is they didn’t come here to live off of our community. They came here to be a part of our community,” she instructed Entry Hollywood in 2020.
“My friend said she was sitting in her car, and they bicycled across the street and waved at her while she was sitting at the red light,” she recalled. “They’re a part of our community. They’ve become a giving, caring, participating part of our community. They’re not here to be like, ‘Would you like to kiss my butt?’”
Montecito has been dwelling to a handful of celebrities, together with Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Adam Levine, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Keaton and Oprah.
Regardless of transferring to america 5 years in the past after stepping again from his senior roles in royal life, Prince Harry reportedly doesn’t have a social life apart from his nuclear household.
“[Meghan] was up front about the fact that Harry hadn’t made many friends yet,” a supply, who beforehand interacted with Markle professionally, instructed Self-importance Honest.
Markle and Prince Harry threw themselves into work and landed a bombshell Netflix contract months after establishing Montecito as their dwelling in 2020. They first launched their docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” in 2022. The present earned the most important one-day viewers for any Netflix sequence since monitoring started in October 2022. One yr later, they adopted up with the “Heart of Invictus” docuseries in 2023 and produced “Polo” in 2024.
Nonetheless, a number of sources described Markle and Prince Harry as having “really great ideas” for reveals that by no means bought made.
“I think Harry doesn’t know what he wants because he grew up in a fishbowl, and so he doesn’t know what real life really is,” an insider, who labored on media tasks with the couple, instructed Self-importance Honest. “I think he probably wants to be left alone and be able to go kiss babies every once in a while but not have to worry about money. I don’t think he wants to be famous the way Meghan wants to be famous.”
