‘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**’

Earthquakes, mudslides and wildfires can plague the upscale oceanside community of Montecito, California, but the announcement by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle that they are leaving the celebrity-studded enclave and heading back to Britain this month barely raised an eyebrow among locals.

Just a 90-minute drive up the coastal highway from Los Angeles, the picturesque hillside community awash with mega-mansions and sprawling estates counts Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi among its most rarefied residents.

Yet the imminent departure of two very famous faces was not greeted with sounds of mourning. When the Daily Mail visited Montecito on Wednesday after the Sussexes’ sudden announcement, there was no wailing and wringing of hands, but instead a sense of relief that the royal soap opera is pulling up stakes.

‘We don’t really give a crap,’ no-nonsense Vanessa Lynn, manager of a local women’s boutique, told the Daily Mail. 

‘We don’t care. This used to be a nice sleepy little town, but when Harry and Meghan arrived, a bunch of people would come in hoping to see them. But Harry and Meghan didn’t really assimilate into the community. We rarely saw them walking down the street or shopping in town. Visitors were usually disappointed.’

Vanessa’s friend Debbie agreed: ‘They never really went out and about anywhere. We all hoped they would support local shops and patronize local restaurants, but that rarely happened.’

In a town where celebrities’ privacy is respected and revered – many of those speaking agreed only to give their first name – not everyone is quite as vocal. But the Daily Mail has learned that Montecito’s most notable resident and fellow lifestyle-brand owner, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, will hardly shed a tear over Meghan’s departure.

Our source said: ‘Gwyneth didn’t like being compared to Meghan, so she is glad she is moving out of Montecito. Gwyneth also did not like all the comparisons with Meghan’s brand [As Ever] and her brand Goop, it was like enough already! But she wishes them well with their new life.’

Paltrow, 53, who has said she and Meghan, 45, are not close and have only hung out ‘a few times’, last year debunked rumors of any ‘beef’ with the duchess when they appeared in a social media video together.

A second source said there is no rift because ‘Gwyneth really admires Meghan.’

‘The world has been hard on her,’ the source said. ‘Gwyneth just hated being compared to Meghan, like she thought it was petty and mean, she doesn’t want to be pitted against another woman ever. She is into sisterhood and women supporting other women.

‘There were rumblings earlier this year in the Hollywood crowd that Meghan and Harry were going back to England. They had done what they could do with the streamers [Netflix and Spotify]. There was a lot of chatter they felt like they did the Montecito thing and were done. So not much of a shock. Gwyneth and her circle think it’s great because now Meghan and Harry can be closer to his family.’

It is understood that other rich and famous Montecitans had found themselves irritated at the Sussexes’ constant scene stealing.

‘Everything in Montecito was about Harry and Meghan this, Harry and Meghan that, and it got tiring, especially for the other stars who live there,’ a source said.

The Daily Mail has contacted Paltrow’s representatives for comment.

Beyond the privacy, it’s easy to see the appeal of Montecito: Hacienda-style Spanish architecture and streets lined with eucalyptus lend a sub-tropical air to the coastal town – the perfect backdrop to Meghan’s As Ever vision.

British-born Julie Groen, 62, a longtime resident, said: ‘I wonder if they regret moving here? Maybe they thought the grass was greener on the other side of the ocean and found out it wasn’t.

‘Their departure won’t matter to Montecito at all. Nothing will change here, life will go on.’

Carlos, 45, waiting in line outside trendy local restaurant Bettina, agreed: ‘We won’t miss them. This place is crawling with celebrities.’

Groen, like many people the Daily Mail spoke to, had never interacted with nor seen the couple around town and wondered why they’d give up Montecito’s notoriously low-key life.

‘I won’t say “Good riddance” to him, but honestly it would have been nice to have met him,’ Groen said.

Harry and Meghan moved to California in 2020, having turned their back on the Royal Family and a life of duty. 

After a few weeks staying in the Los Angeles home of movie mogul Tyler Perry, the couple moved in June 2020 to Montecito, purchasing an 18,671sq ft mansion with nine-bedrooms and 19 bathrooms on a 7.3-acre estate for $14.65 million. Online property website Zillow now estimates the home’s value at $30.5 million, while Redfin estimates it at $55.8 million.

‘I don’t think their departure will affect property values,’ Montecito estate agent Cathy O’Neill said. ‘Oprah put this town on the map when she moved here, and others followed. Harry and Meghan coming or going won’t make any difference.’

Many simply never saw it as a fit for the Sussexes to begin with. Stephanie Taylor, a saleswoman in a high-end boutique, said she is ‘not surprised to see Harry and Meghan leaving California.’

‘I honestly didn’t think he’d last long over here,’ said Taylor, 70. ‘It’s a huge cultural difference from England. He can’t just go out to the pub. It’s isolating here.

‘He’s going back to all the problems he desperately wanted to escape by coming to America.’

Marcie Gudebski, 71, dining outside the Pierre La Fond restaurant and home furnishings store where Meghan occasionally shops, said: ‘I guess it didn’t work out the way she planned. Their leaving won’t make a bit of difference to the town. And anyway, I’m Team William and Kate.’

Indifference was a common reaction to the royal couple’s emigration. Medical technician Joyce Zimmer, 65, said it plainly: ‘I really don’t care if they leave or stay.’

Two forty-something ladies who lunch, sipping glasses of chardonnay at the Sunstone Wine Lodge on Montecito’s Coast Village Road, spoke on condition of anonymity.

‘I don’t think anyone cares if they leave,’ said the blonde. ‘There are so many celebrities living here, and frankly Harry and Meghan weren’t on their level. But she seemed to think she was more important than anyone here. That didn’t endear her to the community. I spoke to Harry at the gym, and at least he was friendly.’

Her brunette friend added: ‘[Meghan] was a little less friendly.’

Many Montecito residents spoke of their disappointment at never meeting or even seeing Harry and Meghan, like mother-of-two Meagan Stirling, 45, a self-confessed fan of the Royal Family.

‘I always hoped to run into them hiking and have a nice conversation, but that hasn’t happened and now probably never will,’ said Stirling as she dined at cozy pizza parlor Bettina.

Her husband Tim, 46, was less star-struck: ‘Their departure won’t affect me at all, and probably won’t change life for anyone in Montecito.’

Gas station attendant Marco Menchaca, 65, recalled the day when he saw Harry visit his garage – five years ago.

‘He bought two protein bars and two bottles of water,’ Menchaca said. ‘I think they’ll be happier going to be with his family.’

But the man behind the counter at The Bottle Shop liquor store was not so fortunate. ‘They never come in here, so their leaving won’t make any difference to me,’ he said.

Angel boutique salesgirls Mia Zarella and Sophia Olvera, both aged 21, had never seen Harry or Meghan around the streets of Montecito. ‘Now they’re leaving I suppose I never will,’ says Zarella.

But there are those who will lament the royal departure, mostly all staff at restaurants the couple sometimes frequented.

‘We’ll miss them,’ said Brett Sanderson, manager of Lucky’s Steakhouse, where Harry and Meghan have dined on occasion. ‘We love them.’

At the Little Mountain restaurant, maitre d’ Jessi said: ‘They’ve been here several times and we’ll certainly miss their presence.’

Career and leadership coach Khewna Dawar, 45, relaxing in Starbucks with her four-year-old daughter, believes that the royal duo will soon realize they have made a mistake returning to Britain.

‘I think they will regret leaving Montecito,’ she said. ‘It’s an astonishingly private, quiet and reclusive community, and people respect their privacy. They’ll miss that once they’ve gone.

‘It’s hard to say goodbye to this place.’