Montecito

Yesterday, we talked about the Duchess of Sussex’s quiet September. Meghan and her As Ever team have only posted a few Instagram pics this month, and there have been no big announcements. Meghan was very quiet while Prince Harry was in the UK and Ukraine, but I expected her to post about all of the lovely Ukrainian gifts Harry brought back. She hasn’t. I did think it was interesting timing when, on Wednesday, As Ever posted a new pic of Meghan. That was in the heat of the Trump state visit. Well, it looks like the Daily Mail also hoped that the Sussexes would do or say something this week. They weren’t content with simply covering the left-behinds as they entertained an orange fascist. No, the Mail sent reporters TO Montecito specifically to stalk the Sussexes.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were laying low in Montecito as the rest of his family lived the highest of high life at Wednesday’s State banquet for visiting President Donald Trump and Melania. After weeks in the headlines amid Harry’s recent high-profile visit to London and Meghan basking in the spotlight from her season two launch on Netflix, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were keeping out of sight at their California mansion, Daily Mail can reveal.

The typically spotlight-hungry couple have been uncharacteristically quiet in Montecito this week 5,000-plus miles from where it was all happening in Windsor Castle. As his brother the Prince of Wales dined on boneless free-range chicken wrapped in zucchini – or Ballotine de Poulet Fermier en Robe de Courgettes, as the pretentious French menu termed it – Harry and his wife were nowhere to be seen.

Their retreat is a departure for the Sussexes who have made a habit of upstaging big royal moments with events of their own. Instead, the former Suits actress, 44, has been conspicuous by her absence from social media – nothing but an Instagram post for her husband’s 41st birthday on Monday – and there has been no sign of the couple in their adopted hometown for days after Harry’s return.

Both Meghan and Harry have become a familiar sight in the tony seaside city but appeared to have gone to ground when the Daily Mail visited Montecito this week.

Swank delicatessen Pierre La Fond, where Meghan has previously been photographed, was a Sussex-free zone, as were other favorites such as Lucky’s Steakhouse and upscale boutique Wendy Foster. Even at the sugar sand Miramar Beach – where the pair have been spotted walking their dogs and enjoying surf classes – they were off the radar.

The timing has fueled speculation on whether Harry and Meghan may have been snubbed or are deliberately keeping out of sight to avoid Trump’s wrath.

According to royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams, that’s because the pair are wary of stealing the spotlight from President Trump who has the power to make life difficult for them should he be angered. ‘I’d be surprised if the Sussexes do anything this week that might annoy,’ Fitzwilliams told Daily Mail. ‘The British put on such a ceremonial show. I mean I’ve been watching this. It is amazing and it’s intentionally amazing and intentionally designed to impress President Trump. If the Sussexes made a move that distracted us, as they have from time to time when there been important royal events, it would be not only be outrageous, but it would draw Trump’s eye.’

[From The Daily Mail]

I won’t lie, I’ve been surprised by Meghan’s silence this month too. I wouldn’t mind if she dropped some big announcement, but I understand why she didn’t, just as I understand why Harry and Meghan mostly ignored the orange mess in the UK. Now, I find it absolutely insane that the Daily Mail is openly admitting that they sent reporters to Montecito to stalk all of Harry and Meghan’s favorite spots. It has to be asked for the millionth time: if the left-behinds really are soaking up all of the global attention, why is the British media still obsessively stalking the Sussexes’ every move? Did the Mail’s editors take one look at Kate’s ridiculous doll wig and order their US-based reporters to drive to Montecito forthwith?

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.