Fame
Some of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s neighbors are ready for a little more peace and quiet amid news that the Sussexes are moving back to the UK.
“When we first heard Harry and Meghan were moving to Montecito, there were definitely some concerns,” a local resident exclusively told Page Six.
“There had already been so much negative press and attention surrounding them and the royal family, and I think people worried about what kind of spotlight that could bring to such a quiet community.”
Our insider noted that now that Prince Harry and Markle are moving back to the UK, they “couldn’t be more thrilled.”
“Montecito is a very private, peaceful place, and I think a lot of people here will be happy to see things go back to being a little quieter,” the source continued.
The insider stressed, however, that they can only speak for themselves and other residents they’ve spoken with — not the entire Montecito community as a whole.
While Montecito is home to plenty of other high-profile residents, including Oprah Winfrey and Rob Lowe, the local said Harry and Meghan brought an unusual level of press and media attention to the normally quiet community.
But it seems to be a common feeling, as another neighbor told Page Six, “Good riddance!”
The insider claimed that a lot of people are “happy” to see the Sussexes go, as they allegedly “always asking for grandiose favors” from their friends and acquaintances “because of their titles,” and “never giving anything back” to them or “the actual Montecito community.”
They added, “The town is exhausted by them, the entitlement and the never ending drama.”
According to the source, some locals have even taken to referring to the pair as the “Grift and Griftess of Sussex.”
We’re told friends in the UK have also jokingly been texting, “Please keep them! We don’t want them!”
The source also claimed that Markle was telling people a few years back “that she would go back to the UK kicking and screaming.”
Reps for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
Page Six confirmed Wednesday that Harry, 41, and Markle, 45, plan to return to the UK with their children — Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5 — at the end of the month for an “extended period.”
Sources told Page Six Thursday that the family still plans to keep their $14.5 million Montecito estate while spending significantly more time across the pond.
However, a second source in the Santa Barbara luxury real estate market told The Post that there “have been rumblings” that the couple will sell the property, noting that “every broker wants that listing.”
As previously reported, Harry and Markle have called the posh Santa Barbara County community home since 2020, when they settled there after stepping down as “senior” members of the royal family and relocating to the US.
The couple purchased their sprawling estate that year, and have raised Archie and Lilibet there since.
Their home boasts nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms, along with sprawling grounds that include a tennis court, rose garden, tea house and children’s playhouse.
Their return to Harry’s home country comes six years after the couple’s dramatic departure from royal life, which caused quite the kerfuffle and became widely known as “Megxit.”
Sources previously told Page Six that King Charles III is a major reason behind the family’s decision to return.
“I know that Charles is a big reason for their return,” a royal insider told us Wednesday.
Harry, Markle and their children reunited with the 77-year-old monarch at Highgrove House in July, marking the first time Charles had seen Archie and Lilibet in four years.
The King, who is battling cancer, is said to be jolly pleased about having his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren closer to him.
The Sussexes also want Archie and Lilibet to develop stronger relationships with family and friends in Britain. A source told Page Six that the children will attend school in the UK during the family’s stay.
“They have so many friends and family in the UK whom they remain so close to,” another source previously told Page Six.
Meanwhile, we hear Harry and Meghan are expected to remain “non-working members” of the royal family and will continue pursuing their business ventures while living in Britain.