‘Gwyneth is glad Meghan is moving out of Montecito’: The Sussexes’ neighbors deliver brutal verdict on move back to UK… as insiders reveal ‘Hollywood chatter’ and one local says, ‘We don’t really give a cr**’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's announcement that they are leaving their Montecito, California home to move back to Britain has been met with indifference, and in some cases relief, from locals in the exclusive coastal community. Neighbours told the Daily Mail the couple largely kept to themselves during their time there, rarely shopping locally or engaging with the town, which left residents and businesses unmoved by news of their departure.
Montecito, a 90-minute drive from Los Angeles, is home to celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Ellen DeGeneres. A boutique manager, Vanessa Lynn, said locals "don't really give a crap" about the move, adding that visitors hoping to spot the couple were often disappointed as they rarely appeared in public. Sources also claimed Gwyneth Paltrow, 53, another prominent local resident, is relieved to see Meghan, 45, go, reportedly tired of being compared to her over their rival lifestyle brands, Goop and As Ever, though other sources insisted there was no rift and that Paltrow admires the Duchess.
- Harry and Meghan are leaving Montecito to move back to the UK.
- Locals reportedly indifferent, saying the couple rarely engaged with the community.
- Insiders claim Gwyneth Paltrow is relieved, tired of Goop/As Ever comparisons.
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Montecito is a small, wealthy coastal town near Santa Barbara, California, about 90 minutes from Los Angeles, and it is known for its concentration of celebrity residents, including Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Ellen DeGeneres. Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, settled there after stepping back from royal duties, and it became the base for their post-royal life and business ventures.
The couple have now said they plan to move back to Britain, prompting reaction from people in Montecito about what their years in the area were actually like. Much of this centres on how visible, or otherwise, the couple were locally, and on reported chatter involving Gwyneth Paltrow, a fellow resident whose lifestyle brand Goop has often been compared with Meghan's own venture, As Ever.
This story matters less for any single new development and more as a snapshot of how the Sussexes were perceived by their neighbours during their time in the US, at a moment when their move back to the UK is drawing renewed attention to their relationship with both Montecito and British public life.