The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been advised to keep a low profile in the UK if they want to get on with their neighbours, according to an American journalist based in London and the Cotswolds.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle relocated back to Britain last month with their children after six years living in America. They are believed to be settling in well at a home outside of London.
While Harry has made public appearances since returning to UK soil, Meghan has not. Reports suggest she has been helping the couple's children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, settle into their new UK school. Their schooling journey has already hit the headlines, with the children having to move schools after problems with security on the school run.
Advice from an American neighbour
Helen Kirwan-Taylor, writing in The i Paper, advised Harry and Meghan to keep their head down. She wrote: "The well-known British characteristics of keeping your head down, not attracting attention, not making any demands – because that tends to make your presence known in a bad way – are the best way to fit in."
She also said that the couple need to embrace community spirit to fit in. Helen wrote: "Country communities are tight: arriving at coffee morning in an armoured convoy of Range Rovers is probably going to rule you out. There are, of course, all manner of exclusive private members clubs here, from Bamford to Soho Farmhouse, but one friend says staff will be wary of Harry and Meghan's security requirements and standards."
Small stuff that matters
She also listed some "small stuff" that Harry and Meghan should do if they are to get on well in their new neighbourhood, which will most likely have other famous neighbours.
She wrote: "Cars stop to let you pass in the Cotswolds. Everyone says, 'you first'. Rushing is for fools. If someone in our village is planning a wedding, they use the marquee to invite the whole of the town to drinks the day after to apologise for the inconvenience.
"You know your neighbours and pick up each other's Amazon packages. Those with large, award-winning gardens open them in summer knowing full well that some nosey parker will sneak in, but it's part of rubbing in.
"That goes a long way to people putting up with the drone that flew overhead to take pictures or the paparazzi that hid in the bushes and blocked traffic. We have some famous neighbours who are incredibly generous and involved. When their outhouse was robbed, everyone got busy checking their security cameras and calling the police until they showed up and the culprits were found.
"There are a fair few Americans in the Cotswolds now. Those who aren't passing through (or taking off every winter like Ellen DeGeneres does) play by the rules. My worry is that Harry and Meghan want attention – which is not how it's done."
