Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have returned to the UK for an extended stay, and King Charles' former senior gardener believes he knows why they chose the Cotswolds. The couple arrived on Monday, August 26, and are living in a private residence in the area rather than a royal property.
Former royal gardener weighs in
Jack Stooks, who previously served as senior gardener to King Charles, discussed the couple's choice of location on GB News. He noted that the Cotswolds was a place Harry and Meghan visited shortly after their marriage in 2018.
"They've been collected by their security and taken to their new home which I assume is somewhere in Chipping Norton, in one of the villages up there where they went after they first married," Stooks said. "It's quite likely that they're somewhere up there. That, as we know, is where all celebrities that come into the Cotswolds tend to go, so I think that is where they've gone."
Chipping Norton set speculation
GB News presenter Tom Harwood pointed out that the Cotswolds is home to Jeremy Clarkson and former Prime Minister David Cameron, leading him to question whether Harry and Meghan plan to "join the Chipping Norton set?".
Stooks replied: "It looks like they may. It seems odd that they were met from Birmingham and I think that gives it away that they're up in the northern part of the Cotswolds. It only makes sense that they go back to somewhere that they knew when they were first married."
The presenter described the Cotswolds as a "beautiful" part of the world, noting that it has become so popular among celebrities that even those without longstanding ties to Britain, including Ellen DeGeneres, have chosen to live there.
Appeal of the Cotswolds
Asked what draws people to the Cotswolds, Stooks said: "It is that cottage feeling, that chocolate box. When anybody comes over from any other country, it's knowing you can go through a village and there's thatched cottages and beautiful flowers flowing out of the gardens."
He added: "It's just that nice feeling of somewhere that seems unspoiled and you want for more."
Stooks explained that Harry was raised in the southern Cotswolds, which could explain why he has chosen to settle there with his own children. "That's probably resonated within him and he perhaps wants to give his children the upbringing in the area where he grew up and have them feel what he felt," he said.
Possible reconciliation hopes
"I think it's quite fitting for Harry to bring them back from the Cotswolds. The King is in the Cotswolds so he might go and start visiting his father a little bit more and try and bridge the gap between the rift we all know of," Stooks added.
Although Harry's new location is further from Prince William, Stooks is hopeful that his return to the UK could mark the beginning of a reconciliation between the brothers. "It's still early days, we still don't know what's going on and why they've come back, but I'm sure in the coming weeks we'll know a little bit more," he observed, adding that King Charles' health could be one of the reasons Harry has decided to return to the UK.
