After stepping down as working royals and moving across the pond, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle settled in Montecito and purchased a $14.65 million mansion in the celebrity enclave.

While many famous residents have called the area home over the years, perhaps none have drawn more attention to the town than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And in doing so the prince and former Suits star haven’t really appealed to their neighbors, but that’s not the only reason some members of the community aren’t fans of the couple.

One neighbor says he was shunned by the Sussexes, another called them ‘local villains’

Several of Harry and Meghan’s neighbors have spoken out about the pair after they moved to the area.

Navy Veteran Frank McGinity, who owns the property next to Sussexes, previously told the Montecito Journal that he tried to welcome them when they first moved in but was turned away at the gate.

“Harry and Meghan live on old McCormick property, and I went up to their gate with the films on a CD, but they weren’t interested. The gate guy turned me away and wouldn’t take the film, just saying, ‘They’re not interested.’ I was trying to be neighborly.”

Other neighbors spoke to Vanity Fair for the publication’s February 2025 cover story about why they’re not happy with the duke and duchess living there.

“I think everyone, including the A-list celebs, would prefer that [Montecito’s] not on the map like it is,” one resident said. “It’s a place where no one would ever ‘bother’ a famous person beyond saying hello at the coffee shop, as they would to anyone else.”

Another neighbor complained that the town used to be a “quiet” place and claimed that’s not the case anymore because of the prince and “the starlet,” which is why they’ve been dubbed “local villains.” Moreover, they attribute the Sussexes’ presence to the “increase in housing prices, out-of-towners coming in driving too fast, and taking up all the street parking,” and not being able to “just walk into Lucky’s for dinner anymore.”

Everything with Meghan is ‘controlled,’ but Harry is more ‘approachable’

Fellow neighbor and local journalist Richard Mineards talked to Ici Paris about how Meghan attempts to make everything about her and her life perfect, but that’s very out of touch with the community.

“She cultivates a very controlled image,” Mineards noted per the Daily Mail. “She pays attention to every appearance, every word, every gesture. And here in Montecito, we appreciate simple people, even famous ones. Oprah Winfrey, for example, shows up at charity events. Meghan doesn’t play the community game.”

Mineards explained that the prince is much warmer than his wife, saying, “[Harry] is always charming, approachable, with that very recognizable Windsor accent. He smiles, shakes hands, willingly exchanges a few words. We’ve seen him at the beach, in an organic coffee shop, or cycling in the hills (with his security team in tow).”

Mineards added that the duke cares less about “controlling” the narrative than Meghan and “is more at ease here, even with his personal struggles. Meghan, on the other hand, is practically invisible. She’s there, of course, but she shows herself very little. Her relationship with Montecito is … distant, shall we say.”