Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Santa Barbara neighbors are sharing their candid thoughts on living next to the Duchess and Duke of Sussex. Richard Mineards, who reportedly resides near Markle, 43, and Prince Harry, 40, in Montecito, California, told the Daily Mail on Friday, "I personally don't think that Meghan is an asset to our community." He added, "She doesn't really go out or get involved with the community."

Despite Mineards' critical remarks about Markle, his opinion of Harry is somewhat more favorable. The Montecito resident described Harry as "quite jolly." Mineards confessed, "Meghan doesn't seem to get seen anywhere," before concluding about Harry, "And you don't see him either." The Post has reached out to the Sussexes' representatives for comment.

This isn't the first time a neighbor has expressed dissatisfaction with the royal couple. In July 2023, Frank McGinity, an 88-year-old US Navy veteran, claimed he was snubbed by the "Suits" actress and the Duke of Sussex when he tried to give them films he made about the area's history when they first moved in. "I have a big house next to Harry and Meghan's property and I live in the guest house while renting the main house out on Airbnb," he said in his memoir, "Get Off Your Street." McGinity recounted, "Harry and Meghan live on old McCormick property and I went up to their gate with the films on a CD, but they weren't interested." He claimed he was turned away by a man at the gate, who "wouldn't take the film" and said, 'They're not interested.' I was trying to be neighborly." Like Mineards, McGinity opined, "We don't see them very much around here." He concluded, "It's surprising they came here. People are typically older. It's where the elephants come to die."

Markle and Harry moved to California with their two children, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3, after stepping back from their roles as senior members of the British royal family in January 2020. They purchased a sprawling $14 million mansion in Montecito that features nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms across the 18,000-square-foot property. The couple is currently busy, with Harry attending the New York Times' 2024 DealBook Summit in New York City, while Markle was at the Paley Honors gala in Beverly Hills on December 4. NYT columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin questioned the royal about the speculation surrounding their marriage after their 2018 wedding.

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