Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Home Breached Twice by Trespasser

published 15 March 21

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Montecito home was breached twice by one trespasser last December.
A 37-year-old man reportedly drove from Ohio to California in order to access the couple's property.
He was arrested charged with trespassing after breaching their grounds for the second time.

This is terrifying: Last December, a man was caught breaching the grounds of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Montecito home on two occasions, and was subsequently charged with trespassing, the Independent reports.

The 37-year-old man reportedly drove from Ohio, where he lived, to California in order to trespass on the Sussexes' property. He was first caught on their grounds on December 24, and was let off with a warning, before breaching the property again on December 26. After the second incident, he was arrested and charged by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced numerous security breaches at their Santa Barbara home over the past year, taking legal action last July after photographers flew drones over the house to take photos of Archie. The Sussexes' lawyer, Michael Kump, said in a complaint, "Some paparazzi and media outlets have flown drones a mere 20 feet above the house, as often as three times a day, to obtain photographs of the couple and their young son in their private residence."

"Others have flown helicopters above the backyard of the residence, as early as 5:30 a.m. and as late as 7:00 p.m., waking neighbors and their son, day after day. And still others have even cut holes in the security fence itself to peer through it," Kump continued.

In the couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry detailed the security concerns that prompted their move from Vancouver, where they first stayed after leaving the U.K., to Tyler Perry's home in Los Angeles. The Sussexes' Vancouver location was publicly revealed by the Daily Mail, around the time the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated.

"Suddenly it dawned on me, 'Hang on, the borders could be closed. ... The world knows where we are. It's not safe, it's not secure, we probably need to get out of here,'" Harry recalled, as the Independent reports.