Montecito Residents Aren’t Hiding Their Relief Over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Departure

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move back to the UK appears to have left some Montecito residents feeling anything but sad. Several neighbors have openly admitted that they are pleased the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have left the exclusive California enclave.

One local resident told Page Six that privacy and peace are highly valued in Montecito, meaning many people will likely be happy to see life in the neighborhood become “a little quieter.” Another neighbor was far more blunt: “Good riddance!”

According to the source, many residents are “happy” about the Sussexes’ departure. The couple allegedly “constantly asked friends and acquaintances for huge favors,” expecting special treatment “because of their titles,” while reportedly “never doing anything in return” — either for those who helped them or for “the Montecito community itself.”

“The town is tired of them — their sense of entitlement, arrogance and endless drama,” the source claimed.

Not all of their neighbors, however, are quite so critical. Local boutique owner Wendy Foster said Meghan has always been “very polite,” but understands why the couple decided to return to Harry’s home country with their children, seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet.

“Here, they and their children don’t have any particular status. In Britain, their titles mean something,” Foster explained.

Other residents said that despite living in Montecito for years, Harry and Meghan never truly became part of the local community. One neighbor admitted that they had hardly ever seen the couple and doubted anyone would have even noticed their departure had the media not reported it.

Another resident, a woman named Susan, said she had only crossed paths with the couple a handful of times — for example, spotting Harry out cycling or Meghan behind the wheel of a Range Rover. She also recalled attempting to welcome the couple with a small gift after they moved to Montecito in 2020.

“I left a bottle of wine at their gate to welcome them, and the next day it was returned to me — unopened,” the woman recalled.

She said she came away with the impression that the Sussexes were never particularly interested in socializing with people who were not “billionaires, celebrities or both.”

Now, signs of Harry and Meghan’s presence are gradually disappearing from local life as well. For example, the nearby Godmothers bookstore no longer carries products from Meghan’s lifestyle brand As Ever, as well as her merchandise or Harry’s memoir Spare.

The Sussexes themselves reportedly left their $14 million mansion with little fanfare. According to neighbors, there were no moving trucks and no farewell parties.