Harry and Meghan are said to have ‘disappeared’ from the Montecito mansion ‘overnight'(Image: Jonathan Brady/Pool PA via AP)
Harry and Meghan reportedly made their dramatic exit from Montecito so abruptly that even their children’s school was allegedly unaware they were leaving – while residents were left wondering what would happen to the koi carp at their £11million mansion.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom California property for a new life in the Cotswolds last month, apparently bringing forward their departure soon after securing schooling for their children in Britain.
Penny Bianchi, a 79-year-old interior designer whose £8million home borders Oprah Winfrey’s estate, said the couple’s departure came as a surprise locally. She told The Sun: “My grandchildren go to the same school and my son is an alumnus so I get all my gossip from there.
“I know Archie goes to the school and that they didn’t even know they were leaving until everyone else found out. They’ve been told, ‘Don’t hold a place for him as he’s not coming back any time soon’.
“They were waiting a while for Archie to get into the school in England. He wasn’t accepted for ages, but the moment he was, they practically left the next day. They just disappeared overnight.”
Archie, seven, is now enrolled at a traditional British prep school in the Cotswolds, with five-year-old Lilibet attending its pre-prep.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex left their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom California property for a new life in the Cotswolds last month(Image: AP)
Penny claimed the Sussexes had not been especially popular among some locals and said the school had objected to their security arrangements.
She said: “The school hated their bodyguards. They would drop the children off with them. To be honest, nobody really liked them here very much. They aren’t popular.”
A source close to Harry and Meghan disputed the suggestion that security was the reason for any friction, saying the school had not been informed of their departure for security reasons. The source also pointed out that celebrity families commonly use bodyguards during school runs.
The couple have allegedly left behind a koi carp at the mansion(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The move has also raised questions about the future of the koi carp kept at the Montecito property. Harry wrote about the fish in his 2023 memoir, Spare, recalling how an estate agent warned him about their particular needs.
He wrote: “The koi were stressed, the estate agent warned. So are we. We’ll get along famously. No, the agent explained, the koi need very particular care.”
A former Sussexes client, who runs a koi maintenance business for wealthy residents, warned that the fish require constant attention.
A source close to the Sussexes insisted the fish had been properly cared for(Image: Getty Images for Netflix)
She said: “If the pump which filters the water and keeps them alive goes out, then within 12 hours they will die. They need the clearest water to survive and they need to be fed once a day.”
She estimated gardening and specialist maintenance could cost around £13,000 a month, with property taxes adding more than £125,000 annually.
However, a source close to the Sussexes insisted the fish had been properly cared for and that the couple had made all the necessary arrangements.
Meanwhile, residents are speculating that the mansion could eventually be sold. Estate agent David Encell said he would be “shocked” if Harry and Meghan still owned it in a year, suggesting it could fetch as much as £30million.
He said maintaining the property could cost around £30,000 a month, while renting it could generate approximately £110,000 monthly.
