A man was arrested for alleged stalking outside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Montecito mansion in California. Security at the couple’s $14 million home placed the man under citizen’s arrest before informing the local police. The man was identified as 29-year-old Kevin Garcia Valdovinos and was then taken into custody for misdemeanor stalking. The law under which Valdovinos was arrested indicated this was not the first time he has committed a similar offense; the police were called to the mansion nine times in the last nine months. The data was released under Freedom of Information laws after the couple shared their security concerns in their interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Valdovinos was allegedly lurking outside the couple’s property but when police arrived, he was not on the property. It was not clear if Harry, Meghan, or their two children, Archie and Lilibet, were present at the time of the arrest. The couple was in New York City attending the Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards where Meghan was presented with the 2023 award “for her global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls”.
The couple moved to the exclusive Montecito neighborhood in 2020, purchasing an 18,000-square-foot home on 5.4 acres of land for $14.5 million. The property’s alarm system had also been triggered five times in the last nine months. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office even responded twice over Christmas to pick up a trespasser who had travelled to the Sussexes’ home from Ohio. The man was identified as Nicholas Brooks, who was caught trespassing on Christmas Eve 2020 and again on December 26, 2020, and was arrested by police for misdemeanor trespassing.
Brooks was subsequently charged with one count of misdemeanor trespassing. He later revealed that he had a previous conviction for taking part in an attack which left a man with a broken bone in his face. He said that he may have been ‘high’ when he trespassed on the house. News of Brooks’ breaches came a week after Prince Harry expressed his fears about his family’s safety during their interview with Oprah Winfrey on March 7, 2021. Harry revealed how Buckingham Palace had revoked their security detail when they moved to North America.
Harry and Meghan inked their lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify as they needed money to cover their own security after being ‘cut off financially’ by the Palace when they left the UK. The deals with Netflix and Spotify were worth $100 million and $25 million, respectively. Harry has also published a memoir titled ‘Spare’, which Guinness World Records has claimed is the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time on the date of its release.
In conclusion, the security around Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Montecito mansion has been strengthened since they moved to the exclusive neighborhood and purchased the 18,000-square-foot home for $14.5 million in 2020. The couple has expressed their concerns over their safety in interviews and revealed several security incidents that have occurred. Trespassers have been caught on their properties, and one person was placed under citizen’s arrest for stalking. The couple has inked lucrative deals with Netflix and Spotify and published a memoir to pay for their own security after being ‘cut off financially’ by the Palace when they moved to North America.
