NFL Star Talks About Being Harry and Meghan's Neighbor At Montecito: 'I Don’t Think They Are...'

A famous NFL player is 'aware' that the Sussexes live next door, but he's never run into them

After stepping down as senior royals in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left the U.K. and packed their bags to move to California. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex now reside in a luxurious $14 million estate in Montecito with their two children, Archie and Lilibet. While the Sussexes enjoy rubbing shoulders with other famous A-listers in the area, NFL star Troy Aikman is certainly not one of them. Aikman revealed that he has never crossed paths with the couple in Montecito and doesn't expect to anytime soon.

In an interview with US Weekly, Aikman said that he spends part of his summers in Montecito, near the residence of the Sussexes. He revealed, "I haven’t run into them. But they are there, from what I can gather. I think anyone with a heartbeat knows that they’re out there. But I’m not hanging with them." The NFL star, who's the founder of EIGHT Elite Light Beer, was asked if he would join Harry and Markle for some drinks over the summer. He jokingly quipped, "I don’t think they’re drinking much light beer."

While Aikman was least interested in hanging out with the couple, the Sussexes, paticularly Markle, also do not have the best track record of mingling with their neighbors. Veteran local journalist Richard Mineards, who lives adjacent to them in Montecito, told the Daily Mail, "She’s there, of course, but she shows herself very little. Her relationship with Montecito is … distant, shall we say," adding that she’s managed to "cultivate a very controlled image" of herself. However, Mineards had only kind words to say about the Duke's behavior with his neighbors. He dished, "Harry is always charming, approachable, with that very recognizable Windsor accent. He smiles, shakes hands, willingly exchanges a few words."

Other residents also echoed Mineard's statement and said the Sussexes rarely mixed with others and always kept to themselves. One resident spilled, "I haven’t seen Harry around much. Normally when you see him around here, he’s walking his Labrador on the beach or his bicycle followed by his security in a Range Rover." Navy veteran Frank McGinity, who lived next to Harry and Markle's temporary home in Vancouver, also claimed the couple were far from friendly. As reported by The Mirror, McGinity, in his memoir Get Off Your Street, shared that he tried to welcome them into the neighborhood by bringing them a collection of films about local history. He penned, "The gate guy turned me away and wouldn't take the film, just saying, 'They're not interested.' I was trying to be neighborly."

While Harry and Markle reportedly keep a low profile within the local community, they are known to frequently mingle with their A-list neighbors. According to Hello! magazine, Markle often socializes with Hollywood stars like Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and Oprah Winfrey—all fellow Montecito residents. Meanwhile, Harry is said to enjoy spending time with producer David Foster, and his wife, Katherine McPhee. Even talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who previously lived in Montecito, praised the Sussexes as neighbors, calling them 'the most down-to-earth and compassionate people.'