'Locals are likely to dislike the Sussexes': Harry and Meghan's £10million Cotswolds move raises questions over whether they'll fit in as sleepy region battles tourist hordes

With its honey-coloured stone cottages, rolling green hills and picture-perfect country pubs, the Cotswolds is the quintessential English countryside escape – and a magnet for the rich and famous.From the Beckhams and Kate Moss to Jeremy Clarkson and, more recently, Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney, the region has become something of a celebrity playground.Now, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are the latest A-listers to set up home in the exclusive enclave, having finally found a private country retreat for themselves and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five.After an extensive property search with a reported £10million budget, the Sussexes moved into their new home over the weekend.The property is said to sit within the estate of a wealthy businessman friend, with whom the couple had been staying since moving from California earlier this year, the Daily Mail's Richard Eden revealed.But while the Cotswolds may offer the couple the privacy and seclusion they crave, will they really fit in among their new neighbours?One royal commentator has suggested they could find themselves out of their depth in such star-studded surroundings.Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail: 'It depends who they befriend but given that there are (other) royals there and the likes of the Beckhams, they will be out of their depth as they have pretensions to be A-listers but are not!'They were not a success in Hollywood. No one else is like them though, which is probably just as well. She failed at the Daytime Emmys and joins Junior MasterChef in Australia, perhaps in the Cotswolds she will find her own level.' Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have moved into their new home in the Cotswolds It is said to be located on the estate of a 'wealthy businessman' friendThe Cotswolds is home to a number of the couple's celebrity friends, including former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi, who bought Kitesbridge Farm near Burford for £15million in 2024. The couple were close to Meghan during the Sussexes' stay in California. But for a couple famous for wanting privacy, the Cotswolds may not prove the best option.Known for its chocolate-box villages and pretty cobbled streets, the region attracts thousands of visitors every year – contributing to ongoing battles with overtourism.Victoria Summerley has lived in Bibury for 14 years, which is home to only 600 residents but sees as many as 20,000 visitors in a single day during peak periods.She told the BBC how the behaviour of some tourists had grown worse over the years since the pandemic and described 'unbelievable' amounts of litter in the stream.Given their celebrity status, Harry and Meghan's arrival in the village will no doubt contribute to the Cotswolds' already considerable touristic appeal. Mr Fitzwilliams is similarly pessimistic about what existing Cotswolds residents might think about their new neighbours. 'The locals generally are likely to dislike the Sussexes' presence in the Cotswolds as we know they are chronically unpopular in Britain,' he says. 'This is a rural area with traditional English villages, rolling hills and also a royal presence. 'Such areas tend to be extremely supportive of the monarchy. In the case of the Sussexes, they have ruthlessly exploited their royal connections and the world knows this. 'The often wealthy, conservatively inclined residents of the Cotswolds would look on this with extreme disfavour.' But with the area already struggling with overtourism, how will locals react to their new royal neighbours?To make matters worse, Mr Fitzwilliams predicts Harry and Meghan could 'act as a draw to a certain number of tourists simply by getting the area in the media'.He adds: 'The hype is likely to be of some significance.'The royal expert describes the couple's move as 'clearly part of a carefully planned strategy' and insists they 'do nothing by chance'.From connecting with friends to building connections that may 'open doors for them' there are many reasons why Harry and Meghan may have chosen the Cotswolds for their base. 'Given the rift in the royal family, Meghan and Harry's friends or those that become friends with them in the Cotswolds may wish to remain anonymous,' Mr Fitzwilliams says.'It is, however, highly unlikely the Sussexes would have planned to be based there for any length of time without a support network of some sort having been arranged beforehand.'However, unlike other A-listers, the couple have a deep-rooted, personal history with the Cotswolds – and Harry shared many happy times with his now estranged brother Prince William at Highgrove, King Charles's private home in Gloucestershire.In the early days of their relationship, Harry and Meghan also often hung out at the Cotswolds retreat Soho Farmhouse, where luxury cabins cost up to £1,200 a night. Mr Fitzwilliams predicts Harry and Meghan could 'act as a draw to a certain number of tourists simply by getting the area in the media'It was also the destination for Meghan's low-key hen do in early March 2018, a few months before the couple tied the knot. Before their wedding in May that year, royal sources told the Daily Mail that the pair were particularly fond of Oxfordshire and were interested in high-end properties tucked away in the rolling Cotswold hills. Althorp House, the Spencer family estate, is nearby in Northamptonshire, where the couple stayed during their visit to the UK in July, as well as Windsor. But just how they will fit in with the local community of A-listers as well as ordinary residents, and how the already overflowing crowds of tourists will react, remains to be seen.