Share and Follow
It seems Netflix executives aren’t the only ones stepping back from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. According to insider information shared with Page Six, the couple’s neighbors in Montecito, California, are also steering clear of the royal pair.
“People are avoiding them,” revealed a local source. “Nobody wants to be associated with them right now.”
The chilly reception isn’t solely due to the latest wave of negative media coverage. This includes reports like those from Variety, which claim Netflix executive Ted Sarandos won’t speak with the couple without legal counsel present. Instead, sources suggest that the neighbors’ reluctance to engage has been building over time.
“It’s not about dislike,” explained the source. “There’s just a growing sentiment that they’re demanding and lack self-awareness. Everyone’s simply worn out by it all.”
“It’s not hate,” says a source, “It’s just a growing awareness that they’re takers with zero self-awareness. Everyone’s exhausted by them.”
Meanwhile, a source close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex insisted, “They have a great relationship with their neighbors and love their community.”
The pair snapped up the $14.65 million Montecito mansion in 2020 after stepping back from royal duties and relocating to California.
“They have settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as them for a family,” a spokesperson told Vogue at the time.
Last week, Markle posted photos of herself and daughter, Princess Lilibet, in the home’s garden to hawk her new $225 luxury flower boxes for sale through her As Ever brand.
The area is home to numerous celebs including Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Gwyneth Paltrow, Arianna Grande, and Jennifer Aniston.
In 2020, Sharon Stone told Access Hollywood, “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.”
But the initial shine seems to have been wearing off for some time.
In December 2024, neighbor Richard Mineards said Markle was not an “asset” to the area in the German documentary “Harry: The Lost Prince.”
“I personally don’t think that Meghan is an asset to our community… She doesn’t really go out or get involved with the community, he said. ‘Harry has to a certain extent, because he’s quite jolly…but Meghan doesn’t seem to get seen anywhere…. And you don’t see him either.”
It was recently announced that Netflix severed their partnership with As Ever after 11 months.