It would be understandable if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are feeling wistful about reports this week that their Montecito neighbor Ellen DeGeneres has left America to live in the U.K., spurred by concern about the incoming Donald Trump administration.
Not only are Harry and Meghan losing a friend, who has seemingly stuck by them through various life events and controversies, but DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, are reportedly making a new life for themselves in the Cotswolds, a pretty, celebrity-filled part of England where Harry and Meghan once had a home.
For various well-known reasons, notably their estrangement from the British royal family, it’s unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would move back to the Cotswolds anytime soon to be DeGeneres and de Rossi’s neighbors once more.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 05: (L-R) Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres attends the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 05, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
It’s hard to imagine the Sussexes living anywhere in England right now, even though they have pretty strong reasons themselves to dread a Trump presidency.
The newly elected 47th president has made it clear that he doesn’t like either Harry or Meghan. He has called them disloyal to the royal family and disrespectful to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Before his election, Trump also hinted that, if he returned to the White House, he wouldn’t stop immigration authorities from deporting Harry, if it was ever determined that King Charles III’s son failed to disclose his past history of illegal drug use on his visa application.
Trump’s son, Eric Trump, said in an interview on a British talk show in August: “We’ll happily send them back from America, you can have them back over here, but I’m not sure you guys want them any more than we might not want them anymore,” More recently, though, Eric Trump clarified to say that Harry’s visa issues and immigration status would be the least of his father’s concerns as president.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
So, Harry and Meghan may not have an urgent need to return to England — which probably is good, because such a return would be complicated.
Meanwhile, multiple reports Wednesday said that DeGeneres and de Rossi have already settled into their new house in the Cotswolds — a region of semi-rural rolling hills and picturesque English villages about two hours southwest of London.
The former daytime talk show host, a well-known collector of luxury real estate, was house-hunting in England in October and found a place in the Cotswolds that “she loved,” People magazine reported.
But while she and de Rossi bought their UK home prior to the Nov. 5 election, Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris left them “disillusioned” about life in America under Trump, TMZ reported. DeGeneres and her actor wife, both Harris supporters, became determined to “get the hell out,” a source told TMZ. It’s even possible, The Wrap reported, that DeGeneres and de Rossi plan never to return to the United States.
It’s understandable that DeGeneres and de Rossi gravitated to the Cotswolds, and not just because of its beauty. It’s also known for its high concentration of celebrities who enjoy their level of wealth and/or fame. The A-listers who have homes there reportedly include David and Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Patrick Stewart, Elizabeth Hurley, Stella McCartney and possibly Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant.
BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER, UNITED KINGDOM – APRIL 12: People walk besides the river as they enjoy the fine weather in the Cotswold town of Bourton-on-the-Water on April 12, 2011 in Gloucestershire, England. A popular tourist destination, the Cotswolds – which lie mainly within the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, but also extend into parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire – are sometimes called the ‘Heart of England’ and has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
Harry and Meghan also briefly lived in the Cotswolds. Before their May 2018 wedding, the grandson of Queen Elizabeth and the American former TV actor signed a two-year lease for an 18th century farmhouse, valued at around $3.1 million, the UK Standard reported.
The home on four acres was located in the same luxury housing estate as the Beckhams’ country home (though Harry and Meghan also have reportedly had a falling out with the soccer star and his pop star/fashion designer wife). During their farmhouse occupancy, Harry and Meghan reportedly entertained other celebrity couples, including Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas and Serena Williams and her husband, Alexis Ohanian. They even played hosts to George and Amal Clooney, though the Clooneys admitted that they didn’t know the couple before they were invited to their wedding.
But Harry and Meghan gave up the Cotswolds farmhouse when they shocked the world by leaving royal life in 2020 and relocating to Meghan’s home state of California. They eventually bought their $14 million, nine-bedroom mansion in Montecito, near a sprawling estate that DeGeneres purchased in 2019.
FILE – Ellen DeGeneres appears during a taping of the “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” in Burbank, Calif. on May 24, 2016. DeGeneres, who has seen ratings hit after allegations of running a toxic workplace, has decided her upcoming season next year will be the last. It coincides with the end of her contract. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Meghan’s friendship with DeGeneres predated her marriage to Harry. The two women spoke on DeGeneres’s eponymous “Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2021 about how they first became acquainted at a Los Angeles-area dog rescue shelter where DeGeneres convinced the “Suits” star to adopt a dog.
Their friendship eventually grew to the point that DeGeneres traveled to the UK in May 2019 and visited Meghan and Harry at their main UK residence, Frogmore Cottage, near Windsor Castle. She said on her show that she was one of the first people to meet the couple’s son, Archie, after his birth.
That summer, DeGeneres also took to X to blast Meghan’s growing number of critics. She said that Meghan and Harry are “the most down-to-earth, compassionate people. Imagine being attacked for everything you do, when all you’re trying to do is make the world better.”
Following Harry and Meghan’s dramatic departure from royal life, it’s easy to imagine that they were drawn to Montecito because DeGeneres and de Rossi were there. The closeness of the two couples has reportedly persisted, even as the Sussexes and DeGeneres have became embroiled in various individual controversies.
DeGeneres notably stepped away from the spotlight in 2022, ending her “Ellen DeGeneres Show” after nearly 20 years on the air, saying she had been “kicked out of show business.” DeGeneres was accused in 2020 of overseeing a toxic workplace at her show and faced allegations that her “be kind” image was all an act, because she was secretly “mean” to underlings and to anyone who wasn’t a celebrity.
LPrince William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave after escorting the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II to Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace for her lying in state, on September 14, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Emilio Morenatti – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Sources close to DeGeneres told the Daily Mail that her move to England also was prompted by the toxic workplace scandal, because it’s left her with a damaged reputation in the United States and few work opportunities. “Make no mistake about it. This is Ellen and Portia’s retirement,” a source said.
Meghan’s reputation has similarly taken a hit after she, too, found herself at the center of workplace bullying allegations, both when she was still in England and since she moved to Montecito and tried to launch herself as a media mogul and global influencer.
In early 2023, DeGeneres and de Rossi hosted a vow renewal ceremony at their Montecito home, and Harry and Meghan were among the celebrity guests, Page Six reported.
At that point, Harry had just published his controversial memoir “Spare,” in which he dished dirt on his royal relatives, including his father, King Charles III, and his brother, Prince William. Harry and Meghan’s estrangement from the royal family began with their public criticisms of the monarchy in their 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and in their 2022 Netflix docu-series.
Because of these criticisms, Harry and Meghan’s popularity in the UK plummeted, according to polls. It’s also been reported that “Spare” prompted Charles to evict his son and daughter-in-law from Frogmore Cottage, which is said to have angered Harry.
But in the past year, Harry has been at the center of multiple reports saying he’s “homesick” for his life in England and would like to find a way to return and reconcile with his family.
Again, it’s complicated. Harry has been locked in a court battle with the UK government over its decision to deny him and his family automatic taxpayer-funded police security when they visit his home country. Harry and Meghan lost this security when they stepped away from royal duties.
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Harry has said he faces security risks as fifth in line to the British throne, and he doesn’t feel safe bringing his wife and children to England, But royal observers also speculate that Meghan is reluctant to return because a large segment of the British public doesn’t like her anymore.
Royal observers, including editor and royal biographer Tina Brown, have said that Harry would probably be welcomed back by the British public because he’s the son of the late beloved Princess Diana, but he’d probably have to return without Meghan.
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan may have dashed any hopes that they plan to move back to England, with the news last month that the couple has purchased property in Europe — but in Portugal not the U.K.
A report by Richard Eden, a Daily Mail columnist, suggested that the Portugal purchase was a way for Meghan, especially, to keep “a foothold in Europe without actually having to set foot in Britain, where she is becoming increasingly disliked with every bitter utterance she makes against the royal family.”
Now that Trump has been elected, Portugal could be the country that Harry and Meghan escape to, if they feel, like Degeneres and de Rossi, that they need to “get the hell out” of America.