The bucolic coastal California town of Montecito was thrust into the limelight six years ago as the backdrop for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s second act following an acrimonious split from Buckingham Palace.
asserted
town → thrust → Palace
But as the couple plans their return to the United Kingdom, Montecito’s whirlwind stint on the global stage may be coming to an end.
uncertain
stint → plan → end
To be clear, the well-to-do enclave near Santa Barbara is unlikely to lose its reputation as a hideout for celebrities – a respite from the paparazzi den that Los Angeles, about 90 miles (145km) south, can be.
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Angeles → lose → den
Oprah, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ellen DeGeneres, among other public figures, have all resided in the tony community.
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Oprah → reside → community
Prince Harry and Meghan, though, were arguably top contenders for Montecito’s most attention-grabbing residents.
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Harry → grab → residents
After news emerged that the couple had bought a $14.7m estate in the area, news helicopters and photographers swarmed in, to the annoyance of some neighbors.
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helicopters → emerge → neighbors
Reporters even clamored for intel on a local Facebook page, prompting a moderator to warn journalists in a 2020 post: “No one will sell out or talk to the press.
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one → clamor → press
We don’t care who you are or where you came from, if you are our neighbor and act like a neighbor we support you.”
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we → care → you
Santa Barbara tourism officials, meanwhile, embraced the fervor, beckoning future residents or visitors with an online tagline: “Montecito: Fit for Royalty”.
asserted
officials → embrace → Royalty
The Sussexes maintained a low profile, blending into everyday life, according to Montecito residents who spoke with the Guardian.
uncertain
who → maintain → Guardian
As the couple’s next move lands like a bombshell across the pond – a shock even to some royal officials – in Montecito, residents reacted with a range of indifference and understanding.
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residents → land → indifference
At lunch hour on Thursday afternoon, shops along a stretch of Coast Village Road roared to life.
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shops → roar → life
At the Montecito Country Mart, visitors lingered outside, dining on sandwiches and sipping caffeinated drinks from a slew of nearby bakeries.
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visitors → linger → bakeries
The bustling area stood in stark contrast to other, quieter parts of town with lavish homes hidden behind tall, well-manicured shrubs.
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area → bustle → shrubs
In a boutique brimming with nautical trinkets, 65-year-old Susanne pondered the prospect of Harry and Meghan reconciling with their family.
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Harry → brim → family
“I would love to see that,” she said, declining to give her last name.
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she → love → name
In recent years, the couple have given a wide berth to Buckingham Palace.
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couple → give → Palace
Meghan, who is biracial, publicly chastised her royal relatives for racist mistreatment and inadequate handling of media intrusion.
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who → chastise → intrusion
More recently, the couple was embroiled in a protracted legal dispute over funding for their security protection.
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couple → embroil → protection
“It’s sad that it’s been divided,” Susanne said.
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Susanne → ’ → ?
Erin E Doherty, moderator of a Montecito Facebook page with more than 11,000 members, had no problem with Harry and Meghan living in her area, which she called a “little slice of heaven”.
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she → have → heaven
It was not unusual for billionaires to socialize with people in lower-income brackets, she said, noting that she would run into Harry strolling on the beach with his children “all the time”.
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she → socialize → children
“I think it’s natural to want to raise children around family and let them have relationships with cousins,” she said of their move.
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she → think → move
“If they didn’t, I’m sure they would regret it.”
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they → do → it
Karna Hughes, the director of public relations at Visit Santa Barbara, heaped praise on the couple for patronizing local businesses.
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Hughes → heap → businesses
Some of the town’s attractions received the Hollywood treatment with screen time on Meghan’s Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan.
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Some → receive → Love
“We hope they found respite in the beautiful vistas of the mountains and beaches as well as neighborly camaraderie,” Hughes said.
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Hughes → hope → mountains
“We will warmly welcome them back any time.”
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We → welcome → them
Another area resident, though, held Harry and Meghan in comparatively low regard.
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resident → hold → regard
Montecito used to be a “cute small town”, said a man, dining outside Sakana Sushi, who declined to give his name.
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who → use → name
It always had old money, but from his perspective as a “working-class contractor” who has lived nearby since 1974, he has seen the enclave creep toward being untenably “rich-ified”.
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enclave → have → ified
“Good riddance,” he said of the couple’s return across the pond.
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he → say → pond
They reportedly plan to keep their property.
uncertain
They → plan → property
The Aporia
