Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Face Mixed Receptions in Montecito and UK

Montecito Seclusion Versus Invictus Games Appearances

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex share a lavish £11million mansion in Montecito, California, surrounded by gated compounds and pristine beaches in a secluded Santa Barbara town. British gossip columnist Richard Mineards, who writes for the Montecito Journal, stated that the couple has been a no-show since covertly arriving in July 2020 after stepping down as working royals in the UK.

Despite local assertions that the pair haven’t become part of the community, Prince Harry told NBC’s Today Show during the Invictus Games that they had been welcomed with open arms and described the area as such a great community, according to reporting by the Mirror. The duke has yet to even visit Old Kings Road, a British-influenced bar on Santa Barbara’s main drag featuring a blunt window sign stating “No w***ers.”, though he has reportedly joined the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club to play alongside Argentinian polo professional Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Figueras, a Ralph Lauren model.

Prince Harry and Meghan Moving Back to U.K

“Harry and Meghan haven’t become part of the community, and I think a lot of people are bristling about that really. It’s such a lovely place to go out and they’ve been a no-show.”

Richard Mineards, gossip columnist for the Montecito Journal via the Mirror

Speculated Cotswolds Relocation Stirs Local Drama

Speculation surrounding a potential return to the United Kingdom has centered on the Cotswolds, where chat groups among residents are reportedly buzzing about a $22 million house the Sussexes might have their eyes on. While temporary housing has reportedly been arranged at the home of billionaire hedge funder Ian Wace—where the Sussexes previously holidayed on a private Scottish island in July—local residents are reportedly amused, entertained, appalled and titillated by their new neighbours.

The prospective neighborhood houses several prominent figures tied closely to the British royal establishment and past disputes. Journalist Rachel Johnson observed on the Daily T podcast that the region features a lot of loose lips capable of relaying information quickly to Queen Camilla, who maintains a house just over the border in Wiltshire since her divorce from Andrew Parker Bowles in 1995. Additional neighbors include Baroness Bamford, the impresario behind the Daylesford Organics lifestyle brand which turns over more than $100 million a year and employs 700 staff, who previously criticized the Duchess of Sussex over her business ventures.

High-Profile Friction and Media Projects

Relations with former acquaintances in the region also remain strained. Sir David and Victoria Beckham, once super pally with Harry and Meghan, saw their relationship cool significantly by the time of the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding where they failed to make the nighttime reception guest list, while David Beckham has since cultivated ties with King Charles as an ambassador for the King’s Trust and sharing beekeeping tips with His Majesty. Furthermore, Jeremy Clarkson—whose Diddly Squat Farm is the setting for his Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm—previously published a column in The Sun in 2022 expressing intense feelings toward Meghan.

Sarah Ferguson Returns to UK to Rent Six-Bedroom Home

Amid these social dynamics, the couple continues professional pursuits, with the duchess wanting a simple nine bedrooms and a film studio per the Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff, and the duke wanting a lot of land. Harry, 37, who has been in Holland with his wife, 40, for the Invictus Games, has been practicing on a private polo field owned by hotel magnate Pat Nesbitt while Fellow Etonian Andrew Bossom noted such a move would be a huge step into the local community.