Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have received a blunt warning from a famous Cotswolds resident as they settle back into life in the UK. TV interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen told the Express that the couple may find themselves far down the celebrity food chain if they move to his side of the Cotswolds.
The Sussexes landed back in Britain last Wednesday with no fanfare and have already enrolled Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet in schools in the South-West of England. The Cotswolds is seen as a natural choice for their UK hub, as they continue to run their £14m property in California and their £3.6m home in Praia da Galé in Portugal.
Two sides to the Cotswolds
Llewelyn-Bowen, 61, said there are two sides to the Cotswolds – the "Schmancy" side and the more laid-back area where he lives with his family. He warned that in his area, locals are "much less impressed by celebrity."
"It is going to be interesting to see how the Duchess fits in because, unlike the other side of the Cotswolds, we're much less impressed by celebrity, which is why actually a lot of celebrities who are kind of like very good at being themselves are drawn to our side," he said.
He named Prince Harry's aunt, Princess Anne, as an example, claiming nobody bats an eyelid when she's seen at the local train station. "You know, they like the fact that actually it's a lot more straightforward," he added.
Locals unimpressed
Some locals in the royal-loving region, still unhappy over Megxit and the pair fleeing the UK in 2020 before criticising the Royal Family on TV and in books, have said they are unimpressed by the thought of the Sussexes on their doorstep.
Llewelyn-Bowen said moving to the area will be no cake walk for the couple, adding: "I think she's going to need to be very genuine. I think that's the big moment here, is that the Cotswold folk can really sniff bull****, you know, they can really sniff when people aren't being who they are."
Business and acting connections
Meghan is expected to relish the Cotswolds as a rich hunting ground to build business or acting connections with the many powerful celebrities who live in the Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire area. The couple flew into Birmingham Airport on a private jet last week, the closest major airport to the Cotswolds.
Harry will want to be near Highgrove to access King Charles and press his case for finally being a 'half-in-half-out' royal, and also near the grounds of Althorp, the resting place of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. The couple have not failed to notice that Clarkson's Farm remains one of Amazon Prime's biggest shows, following Meghan's failed Netflix series 'With Love, Meghan'. Whether Meghan can lose any 'Californian VIP' airs and graces and muck in with the other mums on the school run remains to be seen.
