Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have swapped the celebrity enclave of Montecito for the English countryside, but one of their potential new neighbours has warned them not to expect star treatment in the Cotswolds.
Celebrity interior designer and TV personality Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has issued the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a firm warning about fitting into the famously picturesque region as they begin their new life in Britain.
Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, landed at Birmingham Airport via private jet on Wednesday ahead of their move to the UK for an “extended period of time”.
Travelling with them were their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, who have reportedly already been enrolled at a British school, as well as the family’s dogs, Pula and Mia.
The Sussexes have been widely tipped to settle in the Cotswolds, with respected royal reporter Tom Sykes previously revealing on his The Royalist Substack that the family had secured a rental property and are very close to locking in a permanent home.
Much like the couple’s former celebrity-filled enclave of Montecito, California, the Cotswolds is home to an array of famous faces, including Jeremy Clarkson, Beyoncé, Ellen DeGeneres and David and Victoria Beckham.
However, according to Llewelyn-Bowen, celebrity status carries considerably less currency among some Cotswolds locals- and Meghan in particular may need to adjust accordingly.
The 61-year-old British TV star told Express UK there are effectively two sides to the Cotswolds: the “Schmancy” side and the more laid-back area where he lives with his family.
“It is going to be interesting to see how the Duchess fits in because, unlike the other side of the Cotswolds, we’re much less impressed by celebrity, which is why actually a lot of celebrities who are kind of like very good at being themselves are drawn to our side,” Llewelyn-Bowen told the outlet.
“I think she’s [Meghan’s] going to need to be very genuine.
“I think that’s the big moment here, is that the Cotswold folk can really sniff b******t, you know, they can really sniff when people aren’t being who they are.”
Llewelyn-Bowen pointed to Harry’s aunt, Princess Anne, as an example of how even one of the most senior members of the Royal Family can blend seamlessly into local life.
The Princess Royal, 76, lives at her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, with Llewelyn-Bowen saying “nobody bats an eyelid” when she is spotted at the local train station.
Meanwhile, he also cautioned that Meghan could face another formidable test at the school gates, warning that the local “Cotswolds mums” are unlikely to be impressed by any perceived “airs and graces”.
On Thursday, Sykes revealed that “very reliable sources” had told him the Sussexes have bought a house near the town of Stow-on-the-Wold for between £12 million and £15 million (about AUD$24.7 million to AUD$30.9 million).
The royal reporter said he would not disclose the house or the school beyond saying that it is not Beaudesert Park- which was previously tipped as a top contender.
Sykes added that Stow-on-the-Wold locals were divided over the prospect of the Sussexes moving into the area, with some “excited” by the idea and others “horrified by the prospect”.
Meanwhile, Daily Expresso podcast host JJ Anisiobi revealed some residents were “already furious” with one woman delivering a particularly scathing assessment.
“A woman in a coffee shop, who lives in the local area, says: ‘They should be banned. They are a disgrace. I think Meghan is an awful, dreadful woman. It can’t be easy being in the royal family- they’ve got their faults as well, but they’re two-faced in screaming about privacy’.”
Anisiobi revealed a second person said: “Harry’s burned his bridges,” while another raised a different concern about what the Sussexes’ arrival could mean for the famously peaceful area.
“We don’t want more tourists. This is a quiet and peaceful area.”
Despite Sussex sources revealing last week that the family planned to relocate to Harry’s home country, the Duke and Duchess themselves have yet to publicly confirm their arrival.
The “international couple” did note, however, that they will retain their Montecito mansion and Portugal holiday house.