Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's Montecito neighbours poke fun at Sussexes

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's neighbours took a brutal dig at the Sussexes' lifestye amid their unstoppable stunts to get the spotlight.

The couple's lavish Montecito mansion came under fire as the locals laughed at the royals for leaving the home's outdated style untouched.

The Mediterranean-style estate, known as the "Chateau of Riven Rock," was built in 2003 and is very much of its early aughts era.

Even though the former working royals paid a huge amount of $14million for the place in 2020, they didn't open their wallet to update or modernise the mansion.

"I was in New York last week, and I was meeting with somebody who lives fairly near them, and they said to me that the house that they occupy in Montecito is like a sort of laughing stock," royal expert Tom Sykes revealed on his latest The Royalist podcast about a conversation he had with Harry's neihbour.

Sykes went on to point out that many monied folks would have torn down the past-its-prime palace in favour of one that matches the Sussexes' tastes, as well as the times.

No major changes have been made to the main structure since it was built nearly 25 years ago.

"It's kind of shameful because, of course, in America, if you're a billionaire and you buy a house for $14million, I mean, what's the first thing you do? Knock it down, you know, or at the very least remodel it, you know?" the host pointed out.

Sykes went on to scoff about Harry and Markle's home, "And there they are, still sort of padding around in a kitchen that looks straight out of the Olive Garden."

From glimpses of the home shared by Markle on social media, it still features dated heavy dark wood, stone features, and other decor that were popular at the time the house was built.