‘Meghan doesn't play the community game': Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Montecito neighbours speak out
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Montecito neighbours have taken aim at the Sussexes for doing little for the 'community' despite using the town for their money-making ventures.
Markle, 43, and Harry, 40, live in a sprawling Montecito property that boasts both ocean and mountain views, which has formed a backdrop for many of their projects since leaving the royal family.
Most recently, Markle rented a second Montecito home to film Netflix cooking series With Love, Meghan.
Despite living in the exclusive coastal enclave for almost five years, Montecito local Richard Mineards claimed Markle 'doesn't play the community game'.
'She cultivates a very controlled image. She pays attention to every appearance, every word, every gesture,' he told Ici Paris.
'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.'
The Sussexes originally snapped up their 16-bedroom estate in the idyllic community for about AUD $21 million in June 2020 but appear to have made few connections in the area.
Although Montecito is also home to a few A-list stars, namely Oprah Winfrey, the community is located more than a two-hour drive from the bright lights of Hollywood.
While Mr Mineards claimed Meghan showed little interest in the community, the Duke of Sussex is noticeably more willing to engage with locals.
'(Harry) is always charming, approachable, with that very recognisable Windsor accent,' he said.
'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.'
The update comes almost two years after an elderly veteran living in Harry and Meghan's street claimed he was flatly turned away at the gate to the Sussexes' compound.
United States Navy veteran Frank McGinity claimed his attempts to introduce himself to the couple and gift them a film about the local area failed after he was "turned away".
'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,' he told the local newspaper Montecito Journal in July 2023.
"The gate guy turned me away and wouldn't take the film, just saying 'they're not interested'. I was trying to be neighbourly."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
25 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Meghan and Prince Harry set up court of advisers to give them sense of 'royalty' after Trump's election derailed her political ambitions
In January 2020 Harry left his UK royal home to meet up with Meghan and baby Archie, who had left for Canada two weeks earlier. He and Meghan didn't like the royal routine. They wanted to be free and do things their way, rather than follow the requests of their royal aides. A royal author even alleged that Meghan once said "it's not my job to coddle people" when confronted by a senior aide over her treatment of staff. Meanwhile royal aides accused Harry of 'breathtaking arrogance' after he claimed he wanted to 'protect' the Queen. Five years later Harry and Meghan now appear to have created their own royal household, and launched their own mini 'royal court' of staffers, all of whom white, to take on the demands, according to The Mail on Sunday. It won't be easy and their royal household is likely to take generations to create. It is also likely to be a cheap knock-off of the real thing. Even if Meghan tries to show she's more modern and suitable to be a royal than Princess Catherine. It's something I know Harry once suggested to the late Queen Elizabeth. It all sounds rather pointless as Meghan doesn't listen to advice - she believes she always knows best and that Harry only listens to her. Some staff might not last long. The motivation for setting up her own 'court' of advisors could be that with Donald Trump as US President she realises she has no chance to get a senior political role. So she might as well try for her own brand of royalty. Prince William will no doubt be irritated and angry should the Sussexes attempt to in any way surpass the Royal Family. He won't be happy either if they start using their HRH title, which they promised they wouldn't do back in 2020. One reason for all this is that Harry is furious that he has dropped down the royal list of popularity. Only 27 per cent of UK adults have a positive opinion of him, according to a recent YouGov poll – his worst rating in more than two years. Meghan's popularity has hit a record low of 20 per cent. Maybe, just maybe, he could stop being so unpleasant about his family. Instead, he seems to want the new staff to behave like the aides who raised him in Britain and make sure he and Meghan are well protected from the media he rages against. Shortly after relocating to California back in 2020, the Duke and Duchess vowed to never again deal with the British tabloids – taking an approach of 'zero engagement' except when absolutely necessary. At the time, the couple hit out at stories he felt were 'distorted' or 'invasive beyond reason'. It's an approach that has earned the couple no favours with the press over the past five years. Meghan is probably wishing they were a bit more willing to drum up publicity for the clothes and goodies she wants to sell. Regular journalists with opinions that might get under their skin weren't given access to their fake royal tours of Columbia and Nigeria on their fake royal trips. One magazine journalist, who had very restricted access, was the only one given that honour. It didn't do them much good. Harry felt 'trapped' in the Royal Family - a word he used when Oprah Winfrey interviewed them once they'd left and a word Harry used to put down Prince William and the then-Prince Charles. Could Meghan now expect people to bow or curtsy to her? She used to think it was ridiculous when she had to curtsy when she met the Queen for the first time. Might they even honour their visitors who have done what they were told with a gentle tap on the shoulder with a sword? An American has just written to me that Harry and Megan setting up a royal court within the United States will be a 'problem for the American Government, who have never wanted English royals trying to be in control'. Angela Levin is an award-winning British journalist and royal biographer. Her biography Harry: Conversations with the Prince was published in 2018. Her work has been commended twice at the British Press Awards.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Screen Queen TV Reviews: Stick, Brassic, Alone Australia finale, The Tylenol Murders and The Survivors
Not to sound like an insufferable Pollyanna, but I have a list of things that make me smile. And when life's grinding me down and I'm having a particularly crappy day, I'll read it, and try to do at least one thing off it that instantly makes me feel better. I know — I annoy myself, too. There are all sorts of random things on said list: drinking my first coffee of the day, getting into clean sheets at night, sniffing my dog's paws (they smell like CCs!), feeling a breeze on my face through an open window, watching funny Instagram memes with my kid — all are instant dopamine hits. Over the years, various TV series have snuck their way on. And if I need a lift, I'll regularly rewatch old episodes of Escape To The Chateau, Schitt's Creek or Ted Lasso. If I REALLY want to feel all the happy feels, I'll pop on Bluey's Sleepytime episode and cry great, big cathartic tears into my cat's fur — highly recommend. I can't help wondering if Owen Wilson's new feel-good golf comedy, Stick, might be about to join my happy list, and, indeed, become a whole generation of sports-comedy-loving viewers' serotonin hit of choice. It tells the story of an over-the-hill golf pro called Pryce Cahill (Wilson), who discovers a 17-year-old golf prodigy named Santi (Peter Dager) and decides to mentor him on the competition circuit. It's got all the ingredients for an instant TV hit, and there are some incredible performances from the cast, which includes Marc Maron, Judy Greer, Mariana Trevino and Lilli Kay. And sure, it's about golf — not exactly my sport of choice — but, like soccer was to Ted Lasso, that's really just the kick-off point to tell some heartfelt stories about hope, resilience and the importance of picking yourself up. Add it to your lists, people! Looking for your next favourite under-the-radar Netflix show? This is it! Regular SBS watchers might have already caught this great British series, about a group of mates living in the 'grim North' of England. But Netflix is giving this fabulous black comedy a new life, streaming seasons one to five. It's already crept into their top 10 list this week, which brings me joy — I love that new fans are discovering how great This Is England's Joe Gilgun (the show's co-creator) and Bergerac's Damien Molony are as the two mismatched besties at the heart of the series. The full cast will be coming together for a special reunion episode at the conclusion of the final two instalments of the season, to be hosted by Kumi Taguchi. Can't wait for the debrief. If you took a drink every time someone said the word 'Tylenol' in this doco, you'd be absolutely hammered five minutes in. Talk about branding! Though probably not the kind the massive drug company was after. This doco has some genuinely surprising moments, but they weren't enough to sustain my interest past ep one. This Aussie drama, based on Jane Harper's bestselling novel, stars The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power's Charlie Vickers and Yerin Ha, who'll soon be seen playing the romantic lead in the next instalment of Bridgerton. Talk about a stacked cast! Mark your diaries.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Owen Wilson's new series Stick is feel-good TV at its best
Not to sound like an insufferable Pollyanna, but I have a list of things that make me smile. And when life's grinding me down and I'm having a particularly crappy day, I'll read it, and try to do at least one thing off it that instantly makes me feel better. I know — I annoy myself, too. There are all sorts of random things on said list: drinking my first coffee of the day, getting into clean sheets at night, sniffing my dog's paws (they smell like CCs!), feeling a breeze on my face through an open window, watching funny Instagram memes with my kid — all are instant dopamine hits. Over the years, various TV series have snuck their way on. And if I need a lift, I'll regularly rewatch old episodes of Escape To The Chateau, Schitt's Creek or Ted Lasso. If I REALLY want to feel all the happy feels, I'll pop on Bluey's Sleepytime episode and cry great, big cathartic tears into my cat's fur — highly recommend. I can't help wondering if Owen Wilson's new feel-good golf comedy, Stick, might be about to join my happy list, and, indeed, become a whole generation of sports-comedy-loving viewers' serotonin hit of choice. It tells the story of an over-the-hill golf pro called Pryce Cahill (Wilson), who discovers a 17-year-old golf prodigy named Santi (Peter Dager) and decides to mentor him on the competition circuit. It's got all the ingredients for an instant TV hit, and there are some incredible performances from the cast, which includes Marc Maron, Judy Greer, Mariana Trevino and Lilli Kay. And sure, it's about golf — not exactly my sport of choice — but, like soccer was to Ted Lasso, that's really just the kick-off point to tell some heartfelt stories about hope, resilience and the importance of picking yourself up. Add it to your lists, people! Series 1-5 of Brassic are now streaming on Netflix. Credit: Supplied Looking for your next favourite under-the-radar Netflix show? This is it! Regular SBS watchers might have already caught this great British series, about a group of mates living in the 'grim North' of England. But Netflix is giving this fabulous black comedy a new life, streaming seasons one to five. It's already crept into their top 10 list this week, which brings me joy — I love that new fans are discovering how great This Is England's Joe Gilgun (the show's co-creator) and Bergerac's Damien Molony are as the two mismatched besties at the heart of the series. Alone Australia is wrapping up its third season this week with a reunion show to air after the series concludes. Credit: Narelle Portanier / SBS The full cast will be coming together for a special reunion episode at the conclusion of the final two instalments of the season, to be hosted by Kumi Taguchi. Can't wait for the debrief. Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is streaming now on Netflix. Credit: Supplied If you took a drink every time someone said the word 'Tylenol' in this doco, you'd be absolutely hammered five minutes in. Talk about branding! Though probably not the kind the massive drug company was after. This doco has some genuinely surprising moments, but they weren't enough to sustain my interest past ep one. Yerin Ha and Charlie Vickers star in The Survivors. Credit: Aedan O'Donnell / Netflix / Courtesy of Netflix This Aussie drama, based on Jane Harper's bestselling novel, stars The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power's Charlie Vickers and Yerin Ha, who'll soon be seen playing the romantic lead in the next instalment of Bridgerton. Talk about a stacked cast! Mark your diaries.
