Montecito, California, is home to many elite celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
After purchasing their property in 2020, the couple has had a few issues with certain smells in the area. The most recent foul odor could potentially cause Harry and Meghan to move out of the area.
What stinks at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home?
Although some have joked that the couple themselves have brought a putrid smell to Montecito, that is officially not the case.
The Andrée Clark Bird Rescue is only a few minutes away from Harry and Meghan’s home, and the Mirror reports that’s where the awful stench is coming from.
A local in the area said, “It smells like offal that has been rotting in the sun. It makes my stomach churn. I’ve seen lots of homeowners closing their windows when it wafts over.”
The bird refuge is one of the largest wildlife refuges in the county, but the water in the 420-acre marsh can become stagnant, which results in an awful odor. The odor issues are reportedly “sporadic,” and the odors can be “worse in some conditions.”
Officials say that the problem will likely continue until improvements are made later this year. Still, the New York Post reports that the clean water manager for the City of Santa Barbara, Cameron Benson, said the bird refuge “does not smell now, and has not for some time.”
Previously, Harry and Meghan had issues with a local cannabis factory that had covered the area with the stench of cannabis. Still, the company has reportedly installed “odor control systems” to alleviate the problem.
However, the odor from the bird refuge has spurred rumors that the couple is now looking for a new home and could be leaving their estate behind.
A look at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $14.65 million mansion
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home consists of nine bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. They live in the home with their son Archibald and daughter, Lilibet.
They paid $14,650,000 for the home. The mansion is 18,000 square feet and includes gardens, olive trees, a tennis court, a tea house, a pool, a children’s cottage, and even a two-bedroom guest house.
The purchase of their home came after they spent quarantine in Tyler Perry’s mansion in Beverly Hills. Harry and Meghan bought their mansion in hopes of securing a nice place to raise their children and have their own family separate from the royal family.
This is the first home either of them has ever owned. The mansion is gated and secure, and they reportedly bought the house without help from Harry’s family.