Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Move to Exclusive LA Neighborhood Hits Major Snag

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been planning to move to a different neighborhood in the Los Angeles area, but their potential neighbors don’t seem to like the idea. According to a report by TMZ, the royal couple are trying to move from their current home in Montecito, California to an exclusive community within Santa Barbara known as Hope Ranch. However, sources at the Hope Ranch Homeowners Association (HOA) say that some would rather prevent it.

The Hope Ranch HOA is reportedly concerned about the publicity and attention that Markle and Prince Harry would bring to their small community. The insiders stressed that nobody in the association has a personal gripe against the Sussexes, but that they have discussed how controversial the couple can be in the public eye at times. Their concerns apparently boil down to mostly practical ones – they fear the royal couple would cause a lot of traffic and generally put more cars on the road, while Hope Ranch prides itself on its safe walkability.

One source of this traffic that has residents concerned is the paparazzi. Hope Ranch is apparently not a gated community, so there is technically nothing stopping photographers from driving up there for a quick snapshot of the royal family that could net them a big payout. On the Ranch’s narrow, winding, steep roads, they foresee some safety issues.

The residents also fear this could be a danger to their children, who are currently safe walking the streets and playing outside in the relatively low-traffic area. They fear that the entourage and reporters that Markle and Prince Harry would bring with them would put those free-roaming kids at risk.

So far, Markle and Prince Harry’s neighbors in Montecito have not raised any public complaints about their lifestyle. Three of them spoke to TMZ anonymously, saying that the royal family hasn’t caused any noticeable change in their day-to-day lives. However, they speculated that there may be more famous people in Montecito to begin with than there are in Hope Ranch.

It’s unclear how much power the Hope Ranch HOA might have in obstructing the Sussexes’ purchase of a hope in the neighborhood. So far, Markle and Prince Harry have not commented publicly on these concerns.