Experts suggest that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might need to part with their Montecito estate following the announcement of their plans to return to the UK.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are making headlines again with their decision to move back to Britain, having moved to California in 2020 after stepping away from their royal responsibilities.

In a surprising twist, reminiscent of their original royal departure, they intend to settle in a private residence outside of London. Importantly, their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are expected to start attending a school in the UK.

Currently, there appear to be no hints of Harry and Meghan resuming their duties as working royals, implying they will continue to live as ‘financially independent’ private citizens.

Their move from the US has left many speculating about the fate of their luxurious $14.65 million Montecito home. Additionally, they own a stunning villa worth £6.3 million along Portugal’s serene Melides coast.

Harry and Meghan bought their sprawling nine-bedroom home in Montecito from Russian tycoon Sergey Grishin on June 18, 2020.

The 14,563-square-foot home, known as ‘The Chateau’, sits on 5.4 acres of land and boasts a swimming pool, a tennis court and immaculate gardens.

But a Santa Barbara real estate source has told the New York Post there ‘have been rumblings’ the couple will now sell it. Astonishingly, it costs more than $650,000-a-year in mortgage costs and taxes alone, the US outlet reports.

The Daily Mail previously reported that Harry and Meghan bought the luxury property after securing a $9.5million mortgage, implying that they made a down-payment of more than $5million.

At typical interest rates, the couple would likely be paying around $40,000 a month or $480,000 a year in order to repay the mortgage on a standard 30-year term.

County tax history obtained by The Post shows that the bill has increased every year the Sussexes have lived there, from $138,629 to $141,645, then $144,229, $146,930 before this year’s $149,668.

That means Harry and Meghan have spent around $721,000 in property taxes alone.

Adding insurance and maintenance of the grounds, the couple are said to be spending more than $650,000 a year before taking into account the cost of security.

The Daily Mail previously reported that the Sussexes had hired $9,000-a-day security firm GDBA to protect them in Los Angeles.

If GDBA were hired for 365 days a year at that rate, Harry and Meghan would be left with a $3.3million bill for security alone.

‘I cannot imagine ever wanting to let go of this beautiful piece of property, but hanging onto it comes at a steep cost, so they might have to,’ a source told the Post.

‘It likely will be a few months before they list, or maybe they will give the UK a year first to see how that plays out,’ the source added. ‘But if they do decide to plant roots in the UK, I don’t see a world where they will keep this home.’

When Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals, they became ‘members of the Royal Family with financial independence’. 

Before doing so, 95 per cent of their income was generated through the Duchy of Cornwall, with the other 5 per cent covered by the Sovereign Grant. They are no longer entitled to this and they must fund their security themselves. 

The Sussexes and other high-profile claimants also face paying millions towards the legal costs of the Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers after they lost their doomed phone hacking case.

Associated said its costs are around £34million.

Leading luxury real estate broker Jason Streatfield has estimated that Harry and Meghan could list the mansion for as much as $75million.

He said there have been three sales in Montecito above $50million this year. 

When the Sussexes bought it for $14.75million in 2020, it had been on the market for five years at an original listing of $34.5million.

After getting a cut-price deal on it, they could now rake in millions, according to Mr Streatfield. He expects it to be sold for somewhere between $65 and $75million. 

The house has nine bedrooms, 16 bathrooms and sits on 5.4 acres of land with immaculately clipped hedges bordering the estate’s stone-pillared entry gates.

Property listings say the home took nearly five years to build and included a library, office, spa with a separate dry and wet sauna, a gym with a stripper pole, game room, arcade, theatre, wine cellar and five-car garage.

The estate has sweeping lawns, tiered rose gardens, tall Italian cypress trees, blooming lavender, century-old olive trees, a tennis court, tea house, children’s cottage and a pool. It also boasts a two-bedroom, two-bath guest house.

Since becoming ‘financially independent’ from the Royal Family, Harry and Meghan have tried multiple ways of forging their own brands and income.

In 2020, they signed a reported $100million deal with Netflix through their Archewell brand. This included With Love, Meghan, the lifestyle series where the Duchess of Sussex cooked with her celebrity friends.

Meghan also launched her Archetypes podcast with Spotify, but their $20million deal ended on bad terms when the royal couple were called f***ing grifters’ by an executive at the streaming service.

Harry, meanwhile, signed a major book deal for his memoir Spare, where he sparked a major backlash for revealing explosive details about his family, and Meghan continues to sell jams and other lifestyle products through her As Ever brand.

Tom Garcia-Bridgeman, a PR consultant at Rhizome Media Group, told the Daily Mail: ‘The book deals, Netflix documentaries and product launches were supposed to establish the couple as a global brand independent of the royals, but their return to the UK may suggest that approach hasn’t worked, or at least a rethink has happened.

‘The American dream promised an opportunity to forge an entirely new identity outside the Royal Family, yet years later it is still their connection to the monarchy that generates the greatest global interest.

‘Meghan still needs to use her Duchess of Sussex branding to sell blackberry jam and candles.’

He added: ‘The biggest PR risk is appearing to want the benefits of royalty without the sacrifices. If they lean on royal associations heavily while remaining commercially independent, critics will revive the “half-in, half-out” argument.

With Harry and Meghan’s finances under scrutiny, tax experts have weighed in on the timing of their move back to the UK.

Nimesh Shah, CEO of Blick Rothenberg, said: ‘Good to see Harry and Meghan achieve 6 full tax years of non-UK residency to manage the “temporary non-resident” rules for capital gains tax. They have clearly had some good tax advice and the timing of their move back to the UK is immaculate.’

Dhana Sabanathan, a leading partner at law firm Michelmores, added that ‘staying away a bit longer would have given them a much better tax result’.

‘If they had remained non-UK tax resident for 10 consecutive tax years before returning, they could have enjoyed relief on their non-UK income and gains for the first four years of their return. Staying away for 10 years could have also enabled Harry to protect his non-UK assets from inheritance tax.

‘The pattern we are seeing are expats who have been long term in the US, raised families, and established successful businesses there, relishing the opportunity to return or spend more time in the UK without bearing the full brunt of UK tax on their worldwide assets for a period of time.

‘US citizens remain subject to subject to worldwide US taxation even when they leave the US. There have been no public reports of Harry obtaining US citizenship, so his tax affairs are likely to be simpler than Meghan’s on his return.’

It comes as it emerged King Charles was only told by his son on Sunday that he plans to move back to the UK later this month, while the Prince and Princess of Wales have also been informed.

It is understood that while he ‘welcomes’ the chance to see Harry and his family in a private and personal capacity, the King is clear that there will be ‘no alteration’ to the Duke and Duchess’s role and status as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family in keeping with their ‘clearly expressed wishes and agreement over past years’.

Sources insist, however, it is not in the Sussexes’ ‘plan’ to return to the royal fold. The Daily Mail also understands that no mention of the family’s return was raised or discussed when Harry, Meghan and their children met with the King at Highgrove earlier this summer.

Last night Harry was pictured broadly smiling at a roundtable event in Washington discussing increased support for veterans.

Harry was already scheduled to visit Britain to attend a WellChild Awards event next month and was set to stay in a room at Buckingham Palace.

But the Duke, 41, and Duchess, 45, no longer require accommodation for their stay with the whole family believed to be returning for an extended period within the next two weeks.

Archie and Lilibet will be enrolling at a school in September but it is not yet known whether the move will be a permanent one. The location of Harry and Meghan’s new home has not been revealed for privacy reasons.

Harry and Meghan’s representatives have been approached for comment. 

In a distressing incident in Colorado, a black bear met a tragic end after spending several days trapped inside a vehicle. In its desperate attempt to break free, the bear wreaked havoc on the car’s interior before it was discovered lifeless.

Weighing approximately 300 pounds, the bear likely endured its ordeal for multiple days before being found in Colorado Springs. This unfortunate discovery was reported by The Denver Gazette, shedding light on the challenges wildlife face in developed areas. Read more here.

Travis Sauder, a wildlife officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), explained to The Gazette that bears often have the intelligence and nimbleness required to open unlocked car doors during their search for food. However, they can frequently find themselves in a predicament if the door shuts behind them.

“Usually, these bears open the door, get their food, and exit,” Officer Sauder noted. “But in some cases, the door closes, leaving them bewildered and unable to find their way out.”

The deadly encounter comes as Colorado experiences an unusually active year for bear sightings and conflicts.

CPW received 6,129 reports of bear sightings and conflicts between Jan. 1 and Aug. 13, nearly double the 3,115 recorded during the same period last year, according to The Gazette.

The number has already surpassed the 5,299 reports recorded during all of 2025.

Wildlife officials have linked the increase in encounters to poor natural food conditions. Low snowpack and late freezes have reduced some of the food sources bears typically rely on, pushing the animals to travel farther and take greater risks in search of calories, Sauder told the newspaper.

The timing adds to the concern as bears enter hyperphagia, the period when they consume large amounts of food and water to build fat reserves ahead of winter.

CPW advises people living in bear country to eliminate potential food sources and other attractants that can bring bears close to homes, campsites and vehicles.

Food, trash and scented items can draw bears searching for an easy meal. CPW advises keeping vehicles clean and removing anything that could attract a bear, including food and other scented products.

“Treat your vehicle the way you would a campsite by removing any attractants,” Sauder told The Gazette. “Whether it’s pet food, a kid’s snack or even flavored bubble gum, get it out of your vehicle.”

CPW also warns against intentionally feeding bears. Bears that become accustomed to food provided by people can lose their natural fear of humans, increasing the risk of conflicts.

This year is on pace to produce the highest number of reported bear-human interactions since CPW began digitally tracking them in 2019, according to The Gazette.

CPW did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.

A new trend in higher education is emerging, as some universities have started accepting tuition payments via PayPal and Venmo, making the process potentially simpler for students and their families.

Bellarmine University, Butler University, Kansas State University, Michigan State University, and Texas Tech University are among the pioneering institutions to embrace these digital payment options. More universities are anticipated to adopt this practice as the year progresses.

While these payment methods offer convenience, they may also come with transaction or processing fees. The fees can vary depending on the university and the specific funding methods employed.

These digital payment options are being integrated through several campus payment systems, including Illumia, Nelnet Campus Commerce, and TouchNet. These platforms are responsible for handling tuition payments for universities nationwide.

“A modern tuition payment experience has to work for both sides of the transaction,” stated Don Smith, Illumia’s senior vice president and general manager of integrated payments, emphasizing the need for a seamless payment process.

“Students and families want the flexibility to use payment methods that fit how they manage their money, while institutions need those options to work within the systems and processes their teams already rely on. This integration helps schools expand choice in a practical way, improving the payer experience without creating a disconnected path for campus teams,” Smith added.

PayPal and its Venmo subsidiary have aimed to further expand their presence in higher education over the last year, offering student-athletes the opportunity to receive institutional revenue-share payments through their platforms. Venmo also expanded its presence on college campuses through NIL partnerships with student athletes, college-branded cards, student ambassadors and gameday activations.

The digital payment systems are already used by many students and families for daily money transfers, including purchasing groceries, splitting rent and sending money to friends and family.

“Tuition is one of the biggest payments a family will make, and it should come with the same flexibility and security that millions of people already count on PayPal and Venmo for every day,” Frank Keller, President of Checkout Solutions and PayPal, said in a statement.

“That’s why we’re proud to bring that same choice and protection into the reliable systems schools have already built.”

The companies said PayPal and Venmo use security measures including encryption and fraud monitoring. Consumer regulators, however, have cautioned that money stored in nonbank payment apps may not carry the same deposit-insurance protections as funds held directly in a federally insured bank or credit union.

Certain eligible PayPal and Venmo balances may qualify for pass-through FDIC insurance when funds are placed at PayPal’s program banks, which currently include Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Wells Fargo Bank and JPMorgan Chase Bank. Not all PayPal or Venmo balances qualify for the coverage.

But FDIC pass-through insurance “protects against the failure of a Program Bank, not the failure of PayPal. PayPal is not a bank, does not take deposits and is not FDIC insured,” PayPal said in a statement.

For the first time, the children of Mathilde Favier have spoken out about the untimely passing of their mother, who left the world at the age of 57.

Favier, who served as the public relations director for Christian Dior Couture, tragically lost her life in a car crash in Western France. The accident also claimed the life of her partner, the 61-year-old film producer Nicolas Altmayer, earlier this week.

On Wednesday, her children, Heloise Agostinelli, 27, and Carlo Agostinelli, 25, expressed their profound grief and shared touching memories of the close relationship they shared with their mother.

“Words can’t describe the agony I’m feeling. My mom was everything to me. My world shattered the moment she left us,” Heloise shared in an emotional message on her Instagram Stories.

She continued to express gratitude, “Thank you for all your beautiful and heartfelt messages. I’m feeling overwhelmed and unable to respond to everyone. I hope this nightmare ends soon. Life feels cruel and unjust.”

She added in French, ‘I love you mom, my moon, my whole life. Rest in peace, my eternal angel.’ 

Heloise also posted a childhood snap of her and her mother in a swimming pool.

Carlo shared a poignant tribute on his Instagram, writing, ‘Maman, My heart aches and my brain is foggy. None of this makes sense, and I struggle to understand how any of it ever will.’

‘You were the incarnation of life, the definition of joy, and so much more than words could ever do justice. You loved and were loved more deeply than I think any of us will ever be able to understand.’

He went on: ‘Life works in such unpredictable and mysterious ways, but as you always taught me, trust life’s plan, trust destiny, and let the rest take care of itself.’

He then thanked his mother for ‘being such an incredible role model. Thank you for instilling in me the values that will remain at the core of who I am forever.’

‘Thank you for being the definition of what a mother should be and so much more. You were our superhero, and you always will be. I am strong because you taught me to be.’

Carlo added that the close-knit family will continue to support each other.   

‘Heloise is with me, and always will be. Your beloved family, your sisters, your mother, your nephews and nieces, and all the friends who loved you so deeply are together, holding each other close, and we always will be.’ 

‘You spent your life surrounding us with love, and that love will keep us together now. You don’t need to worry about us, Maman. We will look after one another, just as you always looked after all of us. I will make sure of it.’

Carlo went on to say that he will ‘carry every lesson’ his mother taught him for the rest of his life.  

‘I’ll make it my life’s work to live in a way that will make you proud. I’ll make everything you gave me, everything you taught me, and every sacrifice you made count. That’s my promise to you and to the world.’

He wrapped up his post writing, ‘Sleep well, Mamounette. I will love you forever, until we are reunited.’

He also shared several heartwarming photos with his mother, including a beachside embrace and a few childhood memories. 

Favier had Heloise and Carlo with her first husband Robert Agostinelli, a self-made billionaire who is chairman and co-founder of private equity firm Rhône Group.

According to reports, Favier’s car collided with a ‘heavy goods vehicle’ while trying to pass another car.

On Tuesday morning, Dior released a public statement remembering Favier as an ‘exceptional woman.’

‘Dior is deeply saddened to announce the accidental death of Mathilde Favier. In her role as Director of Public Relations, Mathilde Favier made an incredible contribution to the reputation of Christian Dior Couture through her commitment and elegance,’ the statement read.

‘She was an exceptional woman whose communicative joy, talent, and loyalty were exemplary.’

The statement also included a message from Dior’s CEO, Delphine Arnault, mourning the loss of a ‘loyal friend.’

‘Mathilde loved life with a passion. With the passing of Mathilde, Dior is losing an incredible professional, and I have lost a loyal friend,’ Arnault said.

‘Her optimism and courage commanded admiration. We will sorely miss her smile and her talent. I feel deeply saddened today; my thoughts are very much with her children, her mother, her sisters, her family, her many friends and her team she loved so much.’ 

She had been at Dior for over 13 years after previously working at Glamour magazine and Prada.

Altmayer was a prominent French producer who had worked on over 80 films.

Tragedy struck a Colorado community when an elementary school teacher was discovered dead at her residence. Authorities have noted that certain evidence at the scene casts doubt on her husband’s version of events.

Patrick Theodore “Ted” Barnett, aged 40, was taken into custody on allegations of first-degree murder following the death of his wife, 37-year-old Lindsey Barnett. Lakewood police confirmed that he is being held without the option of bail.

Details unearthed from an arrest affidavit, reviewed by News Media, shed light on the investigation, suggesting why detectives began to suspect Barnett in connection with Lindsey’s death.

Just after 6 a.m. on August 13, 2026, Barnett made a frantic call to 911, claiming Lindsey had injured herself by cutting her neck and was unresponsive. The call revealed the presence of their two young children—a toddler and an infant—inside their Lakewood home, according to the affidavit.

First responders found Lindsey in the shower with a 5- to 6-inch laceration across the front of her neck and a roughly 5-inch serrated knife beside her, investigators wrote.

The bedroom, however, immediately raised questions, authorities said.

Officers described a large amount of blood covering portions of the couple’s bed, including the sheets and pillow, along with what appeared to be blood clots. A trail of blood ran from the bed toward the bathroom, where investigators said there was comparatively little blood around Lindsey’s body.

Beside the bed, officers also found a footprint they described as “dainty” and appearing to have come from a woman’s foot, as well as a knocked-over plant with dirt scattered toward the bathroom. Forensic processing later revealed additional blood between the bed and bathroom that was not visible to the naked eye, according to the affidavit.

Barnett told investigators he and Lindsey had been having marital problems for several months and were sleeping separately. He said he had been staying in the basement while Lindsey slept in the main bedroom.

Barnett said he woke around 5:30 a.m., heard the shower running and went upstairs, where he found Lindsey bleeding. He told detectives he moved her head and called 911.

Investigators also documented injuries and apparent blood on Barnett. Detectives noticed what they described as a fresh injury to his thumb, which he attributed to an ultimate Frisbee injury from July, saying a scab had recently fallen off.

After the interview, a crime scene investigator photographed Barnett and documented fresh scratches and cuts on his upper arm, chest, abdomen and near his collarbone. The detective wrote that the marks were consistent with fingernail scratches and defensive wounds.

Investigators also observed apparent dried blood on Barnett’s neck extending into his beard and a smear of apparent blood behind his right ear. His hands, however, were clean of blood despite his account that he had moved Lindsey while checking her pulse, the affidavit states.

Lindsey had injuries beyond the wound to her neck. The affidavit describes bruises on her arms, legs, back and hips, a fresh injury to her left knee, a scratch across her right shoulder and a cut to her left index finger that the detective said was consistent with a defensive wound. Her neck wound appeared to have injured a major artery, investigators wrote.

Barnett told detectives Lindsey had experienced prepartum and postpartum depression. Lindsey’s mother, however, told investigators her daughter had never expressed suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide and was making plans for the upcoming school year, according to the affidavit.

Her mother also described the couple’s relationship as troubled in recent months. She told detectives Barnett was “verbally abusive and controlling toward Lindsey,” though she said he had never been physically abusive. She recalled witnessing arguments in which Barnett yelled while Lindsey remained calm, according to the affidavit.

Detectives also learned Barnett had another relationship. Later that day, a woman called police requesting a welfare check on him and identified herself as his girlfriend, the affidavit states. She told investigators Barnett had said he was in the process of divorcing Lindsey and that Lindsey was living outside the home.

Barnett had initially denied infidelity when detectives questioned him. During a second interview, he acknowledged the relationship but claimed Lindsey knew about it and was fine with it, according to the affidavit.

Police arrested Barnett later that evening during a traffic stop in Evergreen and brought him back to Lakewood for additional questioning.

During that interview, detectives confronted Barnett with what they described as inconsistencies in his story. He said he had partially picked Lindsey up in the shower to check her pulse, turned off the water and then sat on the blood-covered bed while speaking with 911, according to the affidavit. Investigators said he could not explain the apparent blood on his neck or behind his ear.

Detectives then told Barnett they believed Lindsey had died in the bed and “did not get to the shower on her own,” the affidavit states.

Barnett maintained that he found his wife in the shower and said he had no knowledge of what happened or how she got there.

In seeking a first-degree murder charge, the detective wrote that forensic evidence indicated Lindsey’s body had been moved from the bed to the shower and cited Barnett’s injuries, apparent blood on his body and what investigators described as his shifting and inconsistent statements.

Jefferson County jail records show Barnett was booked Aug. 13 and remains in custody without bond. Jail records show he is scheduled to return to court Aug. 20.

Hutchinson Elementary confirmed to News Media that Lindsey was an art teacher who served both the Hutchinson and Westgate Elementary communities.

“Lindsey was a joy to have in our school,” Principal DeAnn Hoffman wrote in a letter to families provided to News Media. Hoffman described Lindsey as a “sweet soul” with a deep passion for teaching art and an “extraordinary dedication” to her students.

Hoffman said Lindsey “always put our kids first,” helping organize special projects and pouring her heart into the district art show for both schools. She said the loss had “shaken our entire community.” School mental health and district support staff were made available to students and employees struggling with her death.

Lakewood police said Barnett was being held on suspicion of first-degree murder and that the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office would review the case for potential charges.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

New York City’s trendiest workout hub isn’t your typical gym filled with high-tech equipment.

In the urban jungle of New York, residents have long transformed the city’s built environment into their personal fitness space, especially when it comes to doing pullups. From scaffolding to subway bars and even crosswalk lights, any structure strong enough to support them doubles as a bar for impromptu pullups.

This innovative exercise tradition isn’t a new phenomenon. However, it is increasingly dominated by women who are prominently showcasing their strength on social media. You’ll find them recording pullup sessions during a night out with friends, on their way to work, or even while enjoying a date.

As these captivating videos spread across the internet, they are amassing thousands of views and defying the outdated stereotype that pullups aren’t typically a women’s exercise.

Take, for instance, Paige Bullard, 36. Fresh from a calisthenics workout near Yankee Stadium, she boarded a jam-packed 5 train bustling with enthusiastic baseball fans, ready to demonstrate her pullup prowess.

One man grabbed the metal handrail and started doing pullups. Then another joined him. Then a third. A stranger — who had told Bullard earlier that she was in “the greatest shape ever” — urged her to join them, even offering to hold her bag. She declined.

Then the women started chiming in.

“If the girls want me to do it, I’ll do it,” she remembers thinking. “So then I went up there and did the 20 pullups.”

A professional athlete and founder of Bar Proof, a calisthenics and street workout event series, Bullard has amassed more than 150,000 followers across Instagram and TikTok, where she shares snapshots of her workout sessions and community.

Sprinkled among them are videos of her doing pullsups on crosswalk lights and tree branches in outfits suited more for a catwalk than a gym. The Brooklyn native has even done them on dates, typically with another calisthenics enthusiast.

“It works out,” she told The Post. “From the bar to the bar.”

“A lot of men don’t expect us to be strong in that area,” Bullard added. “So when you go up there and you bust out, like, 15, 20, they’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, I can’t even do that.’”

Women, she said, are often just as shocked, but their surprise tends to turn into inspiration.

“I really do a lot of what I do for women,” said Bullard, noting that she hosts free weekly calisthenics sessions in the park for women. “I want to see women get more active and engaged in fitness overall, but especially calisthenics.”

“I just want them to know that you know we’re capable of doing a lot more than just some squats at the gym.”

The girls are getting their reps in

Yami Nevarez, 26, an Equinox coach, is one of the women Bullard inspired to do exactly that.

Nevarez had seen Bullard’s videos and attended one of her sessions at the beach in August 2025. The two quickly became friends, and Bullard began training with Nevarez, a calisthenics newbie who had yet to perform a pullup.

With their friend Felicia Waithe, they formed the Cali Puff Girls, an all-women calisthenics crew that trains together through friendly challenges and supportive sisterhood.

Less than a year later, Nevarez was doing pullups, muscleups and bar dips in a viral video on a scaffolding pole well above her petite, 5-foot frame.

“I just feel like that’s a certified New Yorker, getting on the scaffold and pulling yourself up,” she said. “Paige inspired me a lot, though. Seeing another woman being able to do things that people put limitations on — it’s very inspiring.”

That was her first time performing pullups on scaffolding, a feat she described as “a great feeling.” She did have one complaint, though: “Your hands get so dirty. You know, we’re just girls.”

Rose Joseph, 29, a project manager and fitness creator from Long Island, had also been seeing videos of women doing pullups across the city and was inspired to start documenting her own.

“Every time we be out and about in New York City, every time I see little poles — or, you know, maybe like a traffic light — I would at least try and get some pullups in” she said. “Like, the gym games don’t stop.”

Joseph achieved her first unassisted pullup in 2025 after trying for about two years.

“I’m just doing it for the girls who think that they can’t do it. I once thought that,” she said. “I was once that girl — until I just kept on going, and here I am now doing pullups anywhere and everywhere.”

Karen Modesto, a licensed daycare provider from Queens, came to pullups through weightlifting. While searching for exercise inspiration, she came across videos of women doing them.

Initially, Modesto wasn’t impressed. But after seeing captions claiming that only a small percentage of women could do pullups, she became determined to not be one of them.

“Wait a minute, I’m not going to be in that percentage who can’t do it,” the 39-year-old said. “I’m going to do a pullup. So that’s how I started.”

She now posts videos performing pullups throughout the city, including some alongside men.

“My body, my strength — everything has fully changed,” she said. “When you look at me doing a pullup, what you say to yourself is that is one strong woman.”

But how many women can actually do one?

There’s a viral sound on Instagram and TikTok of a group of unidentified men discussing how many unassisted pullups they believe the average woman can statistically perform.

“On average probably 1.5,” suggests one. “4?” guesses another. “Zero,” he answers.

Women have reclaimed the audio, pairing it with videos of themselves performing the exercise well past four times. But some of the captions accompanying those videos still repeat a similar claim: that only 1% to 5% of women can do one full, unassisted pullup.

The problem is that the statistic isn’t backed by reliable data. In fact, there doesn’t appear to be a reliable large-scale study establishing what percentage of women can perform an unassisted pullup.

“That ‘data’ seems to be pulled out of thin air,” said Lauren Colenso-Semple, an exercise physiologist and strength coach who goes by Dr. Lauren and specializes in female muscle physiology, training and nutrition.

The most famous controlled trial in this area is a 2003 study by exercise researchers at the University of Dayton, in which 17 college-aged women who could not do pullups trained three days a week for three months, practicing lifting exercises, modified pullups and aerobic conditioning.

The women increased their upper-body strength by 36% and lowered body fat by 2%. Yet only four were able to do a single pullup on test day.

The New York Times Magazine highlighted the study in a 2012 column titled “Why Women Can’t Do Pull-Ups.” But the study doesn’t necessarily prove women are inherently bad at performing the exercise.

According to Dr. Lauren, the women’s program was more of a full-body training program than one specifically designed to improve pullup strength through specific exercises. “Many of them aren’t targeting the back musculature at all,” she said.

She also noted that 12 weeks might not have been long enough, especially given the volume of the program.

How to get your first pullup

To build toward a pullup, Dr. Lauren recommends strengthening the back with row and pull movements, including dumbbell rows, bent-over barbell rows, lat pulldowns and seated cable rows, along with pullup movements such as negative pullups and banded, assisted pullups.

As for whether sex differences exist when it comes to strength, she pointed out that untrained men generally have more strength than untrained women, largely because the surge in testosterone that boys experience during puberty increases muscle mass.

But that doesn’t mean women are physiologically less capable of getting stronger.

“Once they start lifting weights, once they start training, we actually see very similar increases in both muscle size and strength, relative to the starting point,” said Dr. Lauren.

“So what that shows us is that, you know, there’s nothing about being a woman that makes you kind of inherently less capable of putting on muscle and strength. They just start with less.”

In Washington, attention of this magnitude is typically reserved for either presidents or pop icons. However, executive assistant Natalie Harp found herself unexpectedly in the spotlight.

On Wednesday, Harp was the subject of intense media focus as photographers captured her sitting inside her white Chevy SUV at a busy intersection.

Recently, Harp has been at the center of a storm of speculation following a flurry of leaks from within the White House, drawing attention to her close ties with the president.

The 35-year-old’s inexperience with handling press attention quickly became apparent amid the scrutiny.

Footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows Harp visibly agitated on Wednesday morning. In a spontaneous reaction, she picked up her phone to film the photographer, focusing on her screen as she drove towards a crosswalk without her hands on the steering wheel.

Harp, who was on her way to the White House, then appeared to mouth ‘f*** you’ as she sped away from the traffic lights in Washington, DC. 

The longtime Trump confidante became a household name on Sunday, when Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff mocked the pair at a rally in Georgia, stating that Trump would rather ‘build his ballroom and travel with Natalie’ than do his job.

Within hours, searches for her name had exploded, and the devotional letters she wrote Trump in 2023, in which she declared ‘you are all that matters to me,’ were trending all over again.

The White House’s response was ferocious as communications director Steven Cheung branded Ossoff ‘the biggest cuck loser in politics,’ spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed him as a ‘feminine theatre kid,’ and Trump himself nicknaming him Pee-Wee Herman.

Publicly, support for Harp within Trump’s inner circle has been unwavering. But privately, the picture is far more complicated, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.

People in Trump’s orbit say the fresh wave of scrutiny on Harp’s personal and professional life has landed hard on her. 

Her estranged brother, Preston Harp, said this week that his sister has been fixated on presidents since her teens – even writing letters to George W Bush at the height of the war in Iraq – and, in Trump, her lifelong dream of working with a Republican president finally came true.

To the Daily Mail, Preston was even more blunt, calling his sister’s relationship with Trump ‘very unhealthy.’

When the Daily Mail first reported on her brother’s comments in June, Harp was privately distraught.  

White House officials are now worried about her security, especially with renewed interest into her life. 

‘Should we put the name of every girl who works for Jon Ossoff on the internet for everyone to openly criticize? I believe there is a double standard here,’ an official said.

Trump, meanwhile, has reportedly told staffers that Harp loves him as much as his own family, and that unlike the aides who will one day leave to make money, she never will.

A White House official offered a grudging explanation of how Harp holds her ground: ‘She doesn’t sleep. She’s relentless. But she’s also smart.’

Harp has said as much herself, in her own handwriting. In one letter, she told Trump she had been distracted for a week, forgetting to eat and sleeping only a couple of hours at a time, before signing off, ‘With all my heart, Natalie.’

‘Trump, she sees him like the only father figure that she has… he is her entire world,’ a source familiar with their dynamic told the Daily Mail.

Natalie’s own father tragically died by suicide in 2020. 

But the trove of love letters and open devotion to the president has other White House insiders questioning her behavior. 

‘She’s nuts,’ a senior administration official said. The source went on to note that multiple top officials in Trump’s orbit find her ‘obsessive’ behavior troubling.

Another top Trump insider put the pattern more bluntly, saying half the people rushing to defend Harp online are the same ones who ‘talk s*** about her in real life.’

Harp’s proximity to Trump has caused friction with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and outgoing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, sources say. 

‘She has a direct line to the president outside of the control of Susie Wiles and Karoline Leavitt,’ a White House official told the Daily Mail.

Wiles’ authority rests on controlling who and what reaches the president, and Harp is the standing exception to the system.

Harp is dubbed the ‘human printer’ as she follows the president around with a portable printing device and provides him with sheets of news articles.

This power to sway the president’s thinking has frustrated Wiles, multiple White House insiders told the Daily Mail. 

Wiles denied a rift, telling the Daily Mail: ‘What Democrats and the media are doing is disgraceful. Natalie is a hardworking professional who handles an extraordinarily demanding job with dedication and professionalism.

‘She is a valued and important member of President Trump’s team, and we are grateful for everything she does.’

‘[Harp] serves the president and is loyal to the president above all else. She doesn’t follow a process and has never been asked by the president to follow a different process and I know that irritates many people,’ said a former administration official.

Trump world is vocally rallying around Harp amid the fresh onslaught of online innuendo that allies say has crossed the line into sexism.

The president’s son Eric Trump told the Daily Mail that conservatives would not be allowed to attack a liberal staffer without steep repercussions. 

‘If Republicans were attacking some hard working young woman – a cancer survivor – the media would be up in arms. There would be hell to pay,’ Eric said.

Sources described Harp as an private figure, who does not seek the spotlight because of her job with the president. 

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller’s wife Katie said: ‘I think when someone puts themselves out there, the scrutiny and attention is fair game, but Natalie hasn’t done that.

‘She truly has a heart of gold and I think it’s gross that people are looking into her personal life.’ 

The attacks have prompted sympathy, especially from some of the women in the West Wing who believe she’s being targeted because of her gender.

‘I think it’s disgusting and absurd that Democrats are putting a non-public person in the public eye,’ one source close to the White House said.

Reports about her running after the president’s golf cart, or sitting in the back of an SUV, were unfair, the official went on. 

Harp once climbed into the trunk of an SUV rather than be left behind as Trump headed to a court appearance in the summer of 2023.

Told there was no room in the vehicle, she erupted at Trump’s staffers, insisting the president had personally asked her to come.

A former White House staffer said: ‘We’ve all run after cars, we’ve all stuffed into cars, we’ve all gotten into weird positions because of our jobs. It’s not unusual for someone to do that.’

The White House, publicly, concedes nothing. ‘Natalie Harp is one of the most loyal and hardest-working aides on President Trump’s team,’ a spokesperson said.

There has never been anything improper established between Harp and the president. 

What nobody disputes is the proximity Harp has to Trump is completely unrestricted.

Three years on, the aide who once hid in the back of an SUV to stay in Trump’s line of sight now drives her own into the West Wing parking lot.