<p id=”par-1_49″>Since moving to their Montecito mansion in 2020, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/prince-harry/?swcfpc=1″>Prince Harry</a> and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/meghan-markle/?swcfpc=1″>Meghan Markle</a> have been spotted out with some of their high-profile neighbors including <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/prince-harry-now-regrets-oprah-winfrey-interview-meghan-feels-differently-royal-author-says.html/”>Oprah Winfrey</a> and Ellen DeGeneres. But not everyone in the town is thrilled that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in the area. </p>
<p id=”par-2_23″>In fact, some of their Montecito neighbors are now revealing why they’re not overjoyed to have the famous pair living near them. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-one-neighbor-likened-meghan-and-harry-to-a-traveling-soap-opera”>One neighbor likened Meghan and Harry to a ‘traveling soap opera’</h2>
<p id=”par-3_48″>Some of the residents in Santa Barbara’s coastal town are sick of having the prince and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/meghan-markle-getting-residual-checks-suits-surprise-streaming-success.html/”>former <em>Suits</em> star</a>, in particular, in the neighborhood. As <a href=”https://www.thesun.co.uk/royals/30525562/harry-megan-royal-snub-california-mansion/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The Sun</a> noted one neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Montecito Journal that they “cannot wait for her [Meghan] to go.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Near-entrance-of-the-estate-and-the-name-of-the-road-where-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markles-mansion-in-Montecito-California-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Near entrance of the estate and the name of the road where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s mansion, in Montecito, California” class=”wp-image-3716259″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Road near the entrance of estate where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s mansion is, in Montecito, California | VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images </figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_20″>But why? Well, a columnist for the Journal, Richard Mineards, said there are a variety of reasons for that. </p>
<p id=”par-5_61″>The writer explained: “It’s a very wealthy community, we have a lot of people giving a lot of money to our cultural organizations as well as charities, but we don’t see them. They live rather splendidly, it couldn’t be a nicer place. The community is waiting for them — they’re gnashing [champing] at the bit. The cachet of a duke and duchess!”</p>
<p id=”par-6_29″>Mineards added that people rarely see them. But on occasion, Prince Harry is spotted with his security detail on a walk, a bike ride, or heading out for lunch.</p>
<p id=”par-7_19″>Another neighbor, PR and communications worker Barry Maher, described the Sussexes as nothing more than a “traveling soap opera.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-next-door-neighbor-said-he-was-shunned-when-he-tried-to-welcome-the-sussexes-to-the-area”>Next-door neighbor said he was shunned when he tried to welcome the Sussexes to the area</h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1200″ height=”781″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Front-gate-of-the-estate-where-Prince-Harry-and-Meghan-Markle-live-in-Montecito-California-.jpg?strip=all&quality=89&strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Front gate of the estate where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle live in Montecito, California” class=”wp-image-3532966″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Front gate of the estate where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle live in Montecito, California | VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-8_23″>The duke and duchess’s next-door neighbor previously shared how he tried to welcome the non-working royals to the neighborhood but was shunned. </p>
<p id=”par-9_45″>Frank McGinity is a Navy veteran in his late 80s who resides in a property next to Meghan and Harry’s estate. In his memoir <a href=”https://www.montecitojournal.net/2023/07/11/mcginitys-travels/”><em>Get Off Your Street</em></a>, he detailed how he was just “trying to be neighborly” after the couple moved in. </p>
<p id=”par-10_88″>“I have a big house next to Harry and Meghan’s property, and I live in the guest house while renting the main house out on Airbnb,” McGinity said. “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. If they were interested in the neighborhood I’ve got a lot of information.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_33″>Like others, McGinity doesn’t see his neighbors much, saying: “We don’t see them very much around here. It’s surprising they came here. People are typically older. It’s where the elephants come to die.”</p>