Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s new neighbour, influencer Josie Irons, has shared her thoughts on the Sussexes’ move to the English countryside region of Cotswolds for an “extended period of time”.
Meghan, 45, and Harry, 41, landed at Birmingham Airport via private jet last week as they embarked on a new chapter in the United Kingdom following six years in the United States.
They are believed to be staying at a billionaire friend’s home in the Cotswolds as they continue to hunt for a megamansion of their own in the picturesque countryside, while their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are set to begin their British schooling on Tuesday.
Irons, a Cotswolds-based content creator, has now weighed in on the high-profile arrivals, revealing why she believes the couple will fit right in with their new neighbours.
“First of all, when I first found out, I instantly thought I’m not surprised, and I will explain why,” Irons told her 148,000 TikTok followers on Thursday.
“Secondly, I thought, do you know what? I’m really, really happy for them… And if I was in their shoes, I would be doing the exact same thing.”
Irons explained that she and her husband moved to the area six years ago and “absolutely love it”.
“It’s a big area, and I’m not worried about it getting filled with tourists too much – we already see a lot of Americans and global visitors coming to this area,” she said.
“As somebody who owns holiday rental cottages and businesses in the area, I actually think it’s going to be a really good thing.
“Aside from a couple of villages that are the really famous ones that do get really busy, there is plenty of Cotswolds to go around and plenty of beautiful places to visit.”
The influencer predicted the Sussexes would “absolutely love” their new surroundings, pointing out that the celebrity-studded region already allows some of the world’s biggest names to lead relatively normal lives.
“It’s no secret that tons of celebrities live here, and by and large, they get to live a pretty normal life,” she said.
“If you see somebody very globally famous in a pub, the locals here, we just don’t bother the celebrities.”
Irons also suggested the Cotswolds could prove an ideal fit for both Meghan and Harry, citing the Duchess’ interests and the couple’s proximity to King Charles III’s Highgrove House estate.
“It’s no secret, Meghan… loves her gardening, she loves her farm shops, and obviously for Harry, it’s fairly close to his dad at Highgrove,” Irons said.
“And Charles has obviously also chosen for his private residence to be in this really gorgeous part of the country, and I think that that proximity is probably one of the reasons that they’ve chosen this area.”
When asked by a fellow local what she would do if she crossed paths with the former Suits actress at the supermarket, Irons joked that she would extend a rather specific invitation.
“Honestly, I would just say to them, ‘Welcome to the Cotswolds. Hey, Meghan, do you want to come and do a reformer pilates class with me?'”
Irons added: “Just kidding, although I do think we would be very good friends”.
Irons’ comments come as the Duchess has reportedly been spotted for the first time since returning to Britain, making an appearance at Soho Farmhouse in the Oxfordshire countryside near the Cotswolds villages of Great Tew and Chipping Norton.
According to royal reporter Tom Sykes, the sighting was confirmed by “multiple sources” who said Meghan arrived “alone before 9am” and that a considerable “fanfare” was made of her as she was introduced to several staff members by name.
Meghan is understood to be a long-time member of Soho House, a luxury global private members’ club aimed at people working in the creative industries.
She has often been spotted at its venues, while her close friend Markus Anderson has spent many years as a senior executive at the company and is now its chief relationship officer.
“I find it interesting that the first sighting is at the single most predictable place in the world,” Sykes said.
“There has been speculation that the Sussexes have been looking at property near Soho Farmhouse, and there is one house in particular, quite close by, which I’m told has been on the market for a long time and could suit them – a big house with a decent amount of land.”
Despite the mounting reports surrounding their new life in the Cotswolds, Harry and Meghan themselves are yet to publicly confirm their move back to the UK.
They are still advocating for taxpayer-funded security, which they relinquished upon stepping down as senior royals and relocating to the US in 2020.