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The coronation of King Charles III was an afterthought in Montecito, California, the adopted hometown of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
The eight-hour time difference between the UK and this seaside enclave made it a challenge to tune into live televised feeds of Saturday's ceremony.
“I didn’t get up in time to watch it,” said Gary Reid, 79, as he walked his dog along Coast Village Road, the main drag in Montecito.
Mr Reid said he planned to catch reruns of the event later. “It is pretty spectacular. The Brits do pomp and purpose like no one else in the world.”
Pat Sweem, who lives down the street from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's sprawling $14.65 million estate, said she watched snippets of the coronation on TV while she sipped her morning coffee.
“Being a Yank, I can’t appreciate it like the Brits do,” said Ms Sweem, 83. “It’s pretty, and it cost a lot of money, I’m sure. The people there seem to need it, and like it. You know, I can do without it.”
One highlight stood out for Ms Sweem. “I had to pause for a moment when William knelt down and kissed his father on the cheek. I thought that must have given Harry a bit of a jolt,” she told The National.
Although Prince Harry flew from Los Angeles to London in a whirlwind trip to witness the crowning of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, he had no role in the ceremony. Seated two rows behind Prince William — his brother and heir to the throne — Prince Harry was simply an observer.
The Duke has been on the outside looking in ever since he gave up his royal duties and moved to Montecito with his wife Meghan Markle in 2020 to escape intense media scrutiny and what the couple said was racial bias within the royal family and the British press.
They lobbed criticisms of the royal family in a six-part Netflix series before Prince Harry published an autobiography earlier this year titled Spare, which was also unflattering to the family.
“People read his book at the counter here,” said Eric Reiter, 20, a maître d’ at Honor Bar in Montecito. Patrons occasionally ask the restaurant’s staff about the royals, but Mr Reiter said there is not much to share. “We haven’t seen them. But people definitely know they live here.”
While Prince Harry went to London, Meghan stayed in Montecito with their son Archie, who celebrated his fourth birthday, and one-year-old daughter Lilibet.
Outside of Harry and Meghan’s home, there were no paparazzi or other signs to suggest it was different than any other day. The 3-hectare estate is in a gated community on a private road that requires permission to enter. Stone walls, security cameras and no-trespassing signs further fortify the compound.
Neighbours say the Sussexes keep a low profile. On rare occasions, they have been seen taking a stroll around the neighbourhood or dashing into a local deli. But Montecito residents say the royals are generally out of sight, out of mind.
“There are so many people of note, and we don’t pay any attention to them. We let them go ahead and live their lives,” Ms Sweem told The National.
Given its idyllic landscape and proximity to Hollywood, Montecito has long been home to celebrities. Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Robe Lowe and Gwyneth Paltrow are longtime locals. Winfrey conducted a bombshell interview with the Sussexes in 2021.
“There are so many other famous wealthy people here that are more interesting. I heard Jennifer Anniston moved in and Amy Schumer is coming,” said local author Dale Zurawaski, 68.
The coronation was not the weekend's only pomp and circumstance. Students were decked out in caps and gowns for commencement at Westmont College, a private liberal arts school in Montecito, just around the bend from the Sussexes' home.
As graduates shifted their tassels from the right side of their caps to the left, a speaker evoked the day’s earlier coronation 8,800km away.
“They said something about a king or somebody getting coronated and that we are going to coronate our own kings and queens,” said Alexa Garcia, 19, a freshman at the college.
Having grown up in the area, Ms Garcia said she is accustomed to hearing about the royals. “But it is kind of weird actually being on campus and them being just five minutes away from here.”
Beneath the palm trees at Butterfly Beach, local resident Adam Peot, 44, said celebrities move to Montecito to enjoy private lifestyles and escape the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.
“People here are pretty secluded,” he said. “They go into their quiet gated enclaves and lay low.”
Although he did not watch the coronation and only knew about it after his father informed him, Mr Peot said he sometimes hears people criticise Prince Harry and his wife for disrespecting their heritage, but he wishes the best for them.
“That’s a big change to leave such a prominent family. Sometimes you have to find your own way and see where it takes you,” Mr Peot said.
“You want families to find peace, so hopefully it all works out in the end with whatever they end up doing.”
Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex through the years — in pictures
