EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Enrage Cotswolds Locals With Home Plans

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are facing a distinctly chilly welcome from some Cotswolds residents as speculation that they could establish a home in the celebrity-filled countryside fuels complaints about security, schools and their bitter history with the Royal Family.

RadarOnline.com can reveal Harry, 41, and Markle, 45, are considering the Cotswolds as a base for themselves and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.

But the prospect has prompted feverish discussion among residents of the wealthy rural enclave, where King Charles, 77, and Queen Camilla, 79, already have strong local connections.

One local told Radar: "The prospect of Harry and Meghan moving here has gone from being treated as another piece of royal gossip to something people are genuinely discussing in villages, at school gates and in local WhatsApp groups.

"The reaction isn't really about having celebrities on the doorstep – the Cotswolds is already packed with extremely famous and wealthy people, and residents are accustomed to giving them their privacy."

"What is making people nervous is the practical impact of having a family requiring substantial security living in an area built around tiny villages, narrow lanes and already-congested school runs," the insider continued. "There are questions about protection vehicles, security teams and whether roads could become more difficult whenever Harry and Meghan or their children are moving around. People don't want ordinary routines disrupted.

They added, "The feeling is that they would be welcomed and left alone, just as other high-profile residents are, but locals would expect them and their security operation to adapt to life here rather than expecting the community to adapt around them. In short, long-standing locals are raging at the prospect of them bringing their circus here."

Residents have reportedly traded messages, concerned that protection teams could complicate school runs and create disruption on the area's notoriously tight lanes.

Others have responded with humor, including jokes about Markle's lifestyle ventures and whether the Duchess, who has sold preserves through her As Ever brand, would appreciate the area's enthusiasm for organic produce.

But beneath the jokes lies lingering hostility toward the Sussexes over their public criticism of the monarchy after leaving frontline royal duties in 2020.

Harry's memoir Spare, the couple's interviews, and their Netflix series all examined their deteriorating relationships with other royals.

Harry was particularly critical of Camilla, describing her as "dangerous" and "the villain" while discussing what he believed were efforts to rehabilitate her public reputation.

Another resident said: "There is a very strong current of loyalty toward the King, Queen Camilla and Prince William across this part of the Cotswolds, and that inevitably shapes how some people view Harry and Meghan potentially becoming neighbors.

"People haven't simply forgotten everything that was said after the Sussexes left royal life, particularly Harry's public criticism of members of his family. Those wounds may belong primarily to the royals themselves, but they made an impression on people here who feel protective of Charles, Camilla and William."

They continued, "Simply buying a house nearby and returning to Britain isn't going to make all of that history disappear overnight. There is a feeling among some residents that Harry needs to repair those relationships properly and demonstrate that there has been a genuine change before everyone is expected to welcome him back as though the past six years never happened.

"Nobody is suggesting Harry shouldn't live here, but geographically coming home and personally reconciling with his family are two very different things."

The Cotswolds is hardly unfamiliar with wealth or fame.

Jeremy Clarkson has become one of its most recognizable residents through his Diddly Squat farm and Clarkson's Farm, while David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have a country property in the area.