Some Montecito Residents Have a Negative View of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Commentator Says

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been the subject of fresh criticism from Montecito residents, with a NewsNation commentator saying some locals view the couple negatively because they do not engage enough with the community. The remarks, made in New York on the 'Daily Expresso' podcast, have reignited an old, slightly weary debate around the Sussexes' life in California.

The news came after years of similar claims about the couple's reputation in Montecito, where they have lived since 2020 in a sprawling estate they bought after stepping back from royal duties. That history matters, because this latest round of commentary is not landing in a vacuum, it is landing in a neighbourhood that has heard versions of this same story before.

Montecito Residents and the Sussexes

Paula Froelich, speaking on the 'Daily Expresso' podcast with host JJ Anisiobi, said, 'There are plenty of things for them to do to devote their life to service. But what are the reasons their neighbours can't stand them? Because they don't do anything for the community.' She added that the couple are 'constantly looking over [their] shoulder to find the bigger, better deal.'

She went further, saying, 'They will take people who they think can get them somewhere' and adding, 'So frankly, they're just snobs.' It is a blunt line, and very much podcast-ready, but it also tells you how this story is being framed now, less as a local complaint and more as a character judgement dressed up as community concern.

Froelich also said Meghan 'is desperately trying to be the A list,' arguing that 'everything is a role to her'. That kind of remark is not evidence, of course, but it is the sort of loose, personality-driven commentary that travels fast online because it is spiky, simple and, frankly, a bit catty.

Montecito Reputation and Reality

For context, Montecito has been a talking point ever since Harry and Meghan moved there in 2020 after leaving their roles as senior royals. The couple bought their estate in June that year, and the move immediately made them the most watched new arrivals in a place already used to celebrity traffic.

The problem for the Sussexes is that claims about their social distance from neighbours have been hanging around ever since. In 2024 and 2025, a number of reports quoted local residents and commentators saying Meghan did not get involved in community life, while Harry was viewed as somewhat more approachable. Those accounts are not the same as hard evidence, but they have built a running narrative that is proving hard to shake off.

One of the more persistent themes has been the suggestion that the couple prefer their own circle to the local one. That is not exactly a scandal, and plenty of high-profile people do the same, but Montecito seems to have taken it personally. When a wealthy enclave decides someone is aloof, the label sticks. That is the stuff of reputational slow burn, not one explosive row.

Why This Story Keeps Returning

The reason this keeps surfacing is fairly straightforward. Harry and Meghan remain famous enough to generate interest, yet private enough to leave space for other people to talk for them. Once that happens, you get the familiar celebrity machine of hearsay, irritation, interpretation and a bit of showboating. The result is not always fair, but it is very often clickable.

There is also a wider royal backdrop. Since leaving the UK, the couple have repeatedly tried to define themselves on their own terms, away from palace discipline and public duty. In theory, Montecito was supposed to offer calm. In practice, it has become another stage where every appearance, absence and silence gets turned into a thesis.

The more interesting question is whether any of this actually changes anything for the couple. Probably not. They have long been the subject of strong opinions, and one commentator calling them 'snobs' is unlikely to alter that. Still, these comments matter because they show the tone around Harry and Meghan has not softened, and in Montecito, at least, the conversation remains pretty icy.