Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing a new blow as some of their Montecito neighbors have stepped forward to criticize the couple.
German network ZDF has aired a new documentary, “Prince Harry – The Lost Prince,” which explores the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s life in California. Vanity Fair reported the filmmakers visited the wealthy costal city where they spoke to locals who claimed to live near the pair.
Several royal experts who saw the special told Fox News Digital it depicts the Sussexes as “isolated” as they attempt to find relevance in California. The couple moved to California in 2020 after stepping back as senior royals that year.
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“Prince Harry – The Lost Prince,” aims to analyze the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s life in Montecito after their royal exit. (Juancho Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“I would describe it as an encyclopedia of Harry and Meghan’s low points over the last few years,” said Kinsey Schofield, host of the To Di For Daily podcast.
“And there have certainly been more low points than high points and that was on full display,” she shared. “It gives you the sense that Meghan is as lonely and isolated as the rumors suggest. Additionally, it makes you wonder why they are so eager to chase after communities and photo ops all over the world if they aren’t even doing anything at home.”
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich said that in the film, locals claimed to have attempted to include the couple in their circles. However, they were met with radio silence.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at The Paley Gala Honoring Tyler Perry at Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel on December 4, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
“In terms of community, the documentary was clear that invitations from the local Montecito community, to attend events, go unanswered,” said Fordwich. “So, neither Harry nor Meghan are interested in those around them.”
“A neighbor of theirs in Montecito suggested that Harry’s dogs and bodyguard are his best friends,” she added.
Harry, 40, has had a strained relationship with his family since he and his wife quit royal duties. At the time, the couple said the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British press were what prompted them to step back as senior royals.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California. (Getty Images)
The father of two has since detailed his rocky relationship with his family in TV interviews, a Netflix docuseries and his memoir, “Spare.”
Meghan, 43, a California native and a former actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018.
“To me, one of the biggest revelations to come out of the documentary was… that Meghan is not very popular in her neighborhood and has not been involved in the Montecito community,” said Schofield. “[The couple’s organization] Archewell repeats the term ‘community impact’ constantly – yet Meghan is a stranger in her community.”
“It gives you the sense that Meghan is as lonely and isolated as the rumors suggest. Additionally, it makes you wonder why they are so eager to chase after communities and photo ops all over the world if they aren’t even doing anything at home.”
View of the gate of the estate where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have their home, in Montecito, California. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Richard Mineards, who claimed to live near the couple, accused the pair of not contributing much to the area.
“I don’t think that Meghan is an asset to our community,” he said, as quoted by UK’s DailyMail. “She doesn’t really go out or get involved with the community. Harry has to a certain extent, because he’s quite jolly… but Meghan doesn’t seem to get seen anywhere… And you don’t see him either.”
Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he feels the documentary is an unfair portrayal of the Sussexes.
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Prince Harry is seen out for a walk with his dog in Montecito, California. (MEGA/GC Images/Getty Images)
“The ZDF documentary… was, in my mind, a hatchet job on Harry and Meghan, creating sensational gossip against the couple,” said Pelham Turner.
“The couple… have every right to protect their privacy if they wish to do so,” he explained. “If residents deem the couple needs to become part of the community, perhaps the people now criticizing them both publicly and privately should look to their laurels and behave respectfully in a manner to make them feel welcome.”
“Harry and Meghan and the children are damned if they do try to socialize because then they are called publicly seekers,” he continued. “Meghan, over the past few years, has had a very difficult time, especially emotionally, and may not know who to trust.”
Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” was published in January 2023. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Director Ulrike Grunewald told UK’s Express that working on the film helped her understand why the royals were likely concerned about the couple stepping away from their senior royals.
“The most damaging allegations can only come from within,” she told the outlet. “Revelations that shock the royal family only come out of Prince Harry‘s or Meghan Markle‘s mouths. I [began] to understand the late queen’s verdict that you can’t be ‘half in and half out.’”
Grunewald also noted to the outlet that since the couple moved to California in 2020, they are still attempting to “make a legacy” for themselves.
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“At the moment it is hard to see any big achievement of their Archewell Foundation, which claims to work for the improvement of communities,” she said. “But there are still voices who see the high potential of the couple not only for the British monarchy but also for the liberal society.”
Schofield said the documentary also featured a former head of royal protection, who slammed the prince for asserting in his memoir that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan.
The Duke of Sussex has been in an ongoing court battle over his right to security for himself and his family in the UK. The couple lost their right to security in 2020 before moving to California.
Prince Harry is in an ongoing court battle to reinstate security for his family when they’re in his home country. (Max Mumby/Indigo)
“I agree… that if Harry’s argument for additional security is related to anything he made public in his book, then he needs to take a long hard look in the mirror,” said Schofield. “His kill count is not something we ever asked for or were curious about. That was a poor decision on his part to include that in ‘Spare.’”
“I always hope that Prince Harry remains safe, but I also wish he would think about the consequences of his actions more,” said Schofield. “Did he not realize that he could be endangering his children by including that anecdote in his book?”
Harry has previously spoken about his combat experience. However, his decision to put a number on those he killed, and the comparison to chess pieces, drew outrage from the Taliban, and concern from British veterans.
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In his memoir, “Spare,” Prince Harry wrote that he killed more than two dozen Taliban militants while serving as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner in Afghanistan in 2012-2013. (John Stillwell POOL/ Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images)
In Britain, some veterans and military leaders said publishing a head count violated an unspoken military code. Others said Harry’s words could increase the security risk for him and British forces around the world.
“I do not see the relevance of a former protection officer talking about Harry and what happened to him in Afghanistan,” said Pelham Turner. “If he fears for Harry’s safety still, why did he bring up the issue allegedly in the documentary? It opens up old wounds again.”
Fordwich said that while the documentary doesn’t offer “new revelations,” she claimed it does have an important message.
Meghan Markle gave up her acting career when she married Britain’s Prince Harry in 2018. (Karwai Tang/WireImage via Getty Images)
“Every one interviewed confirmed what we know – that they are far removed from the public portrayal of themselves as activists and charity campaigners… The impact will be to further reinforce all the negative images.”
“I walked away feeling like Harry and Meghan are in charge of their own lives but are not equipped to handle the opportunities presented to them or the fame that they established,” said Schofield. “The Sussexes need to find people they can trust and let go of some of the control they have because they are not always the best decision makers.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
