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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Residents of the posh California town to which the couple fled after leaving their royal roles behind are reportedly calling them local villains.
A Montecito resident, who never met the couple but spoke with vanity fairHe referred to the duo as the prince and “the young star.”
Residents of the quiet Santa Barbara area attribute many of the new disruptions 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 POSTPONES THE RELEASE OF THE LIFESTYLE SERIES DUE TO FIRES IN CALIFORNIA
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been called local villains in their Montecito neighborhood, according to Vanity Fair. (Fox News Digital)
“You know, the great thing about (Meghan and Harry) is that they didn’t come here to live off of our community. They came here to be part of our community.”
Markle’s latest business endeavor, Orchard of the American RivieraIt is also located in Montecito, Vanity Fair reported. According to the outlet, a book published by the Southern Pacific Company railroad lines in 1898 says: “El Montecito is known as the American Riviera.” However, it is said that that honor now belongs to Santa Barbara.
“It’s kind of quackery,” one resident told Vanity Fair. “It’s just about finding every possible way to monetize something.
“I still think they are the most legit and fake people on the planet,” the resident added. “They moved from England to escape the scrutiny of the press, and all they do is try to appear in the press in the United States.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for comment.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t the only celebrities who live in Montecito. (Chris Jackson)
Meanwhile, the couple’s arrival has been praised by their famous neighbour, Sharon Stone.
“You know, the good thing about them is that they didn’t come here to live off of our community. They came here to be part of our community,” he said. Access Hollywood in 2020.
“My friend said she was sitting in her car, they biked across the street and waved at her while she was sitting at the red light,” he 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, ‘Would you like to kiss my ass?'”
Montecito has been home to a handful of celebrities, including Natalie Portman, Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Adam Levine, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Keaton and Oprah.
The gate of 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 away from his leading roles in royal life, Prince Harry reportedly has no social life outside of his nuclear family.
“(Meghan) was candid about the fact that Harry hadn’t made many friends yet,” a source who previously interacted professionally with Markle told Vanity Fair.
Markle and Prince Harry got to work and landed an explosive deal with Netflix months after making Montecito their home in 2020. They first released their documentary series, “Harry and Meghan” in 2022. The show earned the largest one-day viewership for any Netflix series since tracking began in October 2022. A year later, they followed up with the documentary series “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 describe Markle and Prince Harry like having “really great ideas” for shows that never got made.
“I think Harry doesn’t know what he wants because he grew up in a fishbowl, so he doesn’t know what real life is,” a source who worked on media projects with the couple told Vanity Fair. “I think he probably wants to be left alone and be able to kiss babies 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.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 2021 at the home of Winfrey’s friend in Santa Barbara County, California. (Harpo Productions)
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Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
