Meghan Markle seemed to be looking forward to a life of privacy when she and husband Prince Harry walked away from royal life in 2020, but it doesn’t sound like she’s doing a very good job fitting into her more low-key California neighborhood. According to one of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s neighbors, she’s never tried to be part of the community, even though Harry seems to be made for Montecito.
While talking to the Daily Mail this week, Montecito local Richard Mineards said that Meghan likes to keep a “very controlled image,” but it’s keeping her from being seen as relatable by her neighbors.
“She pays attention to every appearance, every word, every gesture,” Richard said. “And here in Montecito, we appreciate simple people, even famous ones.”
And while other residents all seem to show up to community charity events, Richard claims that Meghan sits them out and has “never tried to fit in.“
“Meghan doesn’t play the community game,” he added.
Prince Harry, on the other hand, couldn’t be more different. For him, seamlessly blending in with the locals couldn’t be easier, and he seems to be “more at ease” in his new California home.
“He is always charming, approachable, with that very recognizable Windsor accent,” Richard 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.”
However, Meghan might as well be “invisible.”
“She’s there, of course, but she shows herself very little,” Richard said. “Her relationship with Montecito is … distant, shall we say.”
Meghan has received criticism for not being very relatable in the past, especially after the release of her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, earlier this year. But there’s just one problem: What Richard’s saying doesn’t seem to match up with what Meghan herself has shared about her life these days.
In fact, back in March, Meghan told People that she’s been putting in effort to be part of the Montecito community.
“I have a couple of girlfriends up here; these are stay-at-home moms and working women with normal jobs, not in the public eye,” she said at the time. “We went from just connecting through our kids to having girls’ night out or doing Pilates together.”
We may never know what the truth is, but if Meghan and Harry are happy in their new home, does anything else really matter in the end?
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
