What happens as they return to the U.K.?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing for a new chapter in the U.K., but six years after making California their home, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are leaving an unexpected mark on the community they chose for their post-royal life.

Harry and Meghan settled in Montecito, an exclusive enclave in Santa Barbara County, in 2020 after stepping away from their roles as working members of the royal family.

Already known for its privacy, sprawling estates and famous residents, the coastal community offered Harry and Meghan something they had been searching for: a place to raise their growing family away from the daily pressures surrounding royal life.

But bringing a British prince and duchess to town also brought something else to Montecito, worldwide attention.

Now, as Harry and Meghan prepare to establish a home base in Britain with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, locals are reflecting on the unusual six-year chapter that put an even brighter spotlight on their famously discreet California community.

Harry and Meghan became a Montecito attraction:

Montecito was hardly unknown before the Sussexes arrived. The affluent community has long attracted some of Hollywood’s biggest names, with celebrities choosing the area partly because of the privacy it offers away from Los Angeles.

Harry and Meghan, however, brought a distinctly royal fascination. Their arrival attracted visitors interested in seeing the California community where the couple had started their new lives, and Santa Barbara’s tourism industry wasn’t shy about embracing its new royal connection.

Visit Santa Barbara created an itinerary titled “Montecito: Fit for Royalty,” highlighting destinations around the area after it became home to the Duke and Duchess.

The official tourism site noted that Montecito had been “crowned” as the location of Harry and Meghan’s new home, turning their arrival into part of the area’s appeal to visitors.

Recent reporting suggests the increased attention was noticeable locally. Some residents welcomed the excitement and tourism surrounding the Sussexes, while others were less enthusiastic about the additional visitors, photographers and attention that followed one of the world’s most famous couples to their quiet community.

A royal life built in California:

Montecito ultimately became much more than an escape for Harry and Meghan. It was where they established the family life that followed their departure from the monarchy.

Archie, who was still a baby when the family moved to California, spent much of his early childhood there. Lilibet was born in California in 2021 and has known the state as home throughout her childhood.

It also became closely connected to Meghan’s new public identity. The Duchess’ post-royal projects have repeatedly drawn on the relaxed California lifestyle surrounding her, from entertaining and gardening to food and local businesses.

Meghan’s lifestyle brand, As Ever, has similarly become intertwined with the California aesthetic she embraced after leaving Britain. Despite their enormous international profile, Harry and Meghan reportedly maintained a relatively private day-to-day existence within Montecito itself.

That created an unusual contrast, around the world, almost everything the Sussexes did generated headlines. At home, they were residents of a community accustomed to seeing famous faces.

Not everyone welcomed the attention:

The “Sussex effect” on Montecito wasn’t universally celebrated. Over the years, reports have documented complaints from some residents about the increased presence of photographers, tourists and people hoping to catch a glimpse of Harry and Meghan.

Other locals, however, have taken a much more indifferent approach to their famous neighbors, reflecting Montecito’s long history as a refuge for celebrities seeking privacy.

The reaction to their latest move has been similarly mixed. Some residents interviewed following news of the family’s return to Britain expressed little concern about the change, while others reflected on the attention Harry and Meghan brought to the community.

Their presence also provided benefits for some local businesses. Meghan has publicly highlighted businesses and destinations around the area, bringing international exposure to places that might otherwise primarily cater to the local community.

So what happens to Montecito now?

Despite headlines surrounding Harry and Meghan’s departure, the Sussexes aren’t completely saying goodbye to California.

The couple reportedly plans to retain their Montecito mansion while establishing a private, non-royal home in Britain. They will also keep their vacation property in Portugal.

The arrangement transforms the role Montecito plays in their lives rather than eliminating it.

For the past six years, California has been the center of the Sussex family’s post-royal story. It was where they raised their children, built businesses, produced television projects and established an identity independent from the monarchy.

Britain will now become a much bigger part of that equation. Archie and Lilibet are expected to begin school in the U.K. in September, while Harry will be able to spend considerably more time supporting his British charities and the Invictus community.

Meghan, meanwhile, is expected to continue overseeing her independent projects from the family’s international bases. For Montecito, that means its most famous royal residents aren’t exactly disappearing.

But after six years in which a quiet California enclave unexpectedly became part of the Sussex story, the center of attention is shifting more than 5,000 miles away.

Montecito may no longer be the Sussexes’ only home base, but the royal chapter they created there isn’t quite over yet.