Meghan Markle & Prince Harry's $14 Million Montecito Home Was Breached Twice By Same Man Over Christmas
Even though Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had only been living in California with their son, Archie, for a short amount of time, they experienced a scary incident after moving into their Montecito home.
According to TMZ, a man named Nickolas Brooks reportedly drove from Ohio, where he lived, to California. He was then caught trespassing on Meghan and Harry's property on Christmas Eve. However, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officers let him off with a warning.
Two days later, Brooks returned to the pair's home and was arrested and charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing.
The outlet reported that it's unclear what the man wanted from the couple — or if they were even home when he he was lurking around.
After the duo left the royal family in 2020, Harry noted that he was nervous about his family's security.
Harry and Meghan purchased their Santa Barbara home for $14.5 million in August. Prior to moving to the West Coast, they settled down in Vancouver, and the news was made public.
“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,’” the 36-year-old told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that aired on March 7.
Now, the two spend around $2 to $3 million each year for their security team, four security experts who were interviewed for Forbes surmised.
The two need a security team on the ground at their mansion in Montecito, in addition to guards who can look at locations before they visit. They also need vehicles to safely transport them around California and online experts who can watch social media accounts.
While speaking with Winfrey, Harry revealed he had to dip into his inheritance to keep his brood safe. “I had to afford security for us,” he admitted. “[I was cut off] in the first quarter of 2020. But I’ve got what my mom left me and without that, we would not have been able to do this.”
