I’ve always been reticent to cover specifics about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s security because I don’t want to paint an even bigger target on their backs. There are a lot of people who want to get famous by doing harm to Harry and Meghan. They have faced very real threats throughout their relationship, in the UK and elsewhere. They have deranged faux-journalists harassing them constantly. Paparazzi have a standing bounty for photos of Harry, Meghan and Archie. This was, I believe, one of the big reasons why Harry wanted to move to Santa Barbara. For a more peaceful way of life, for sure, but there not as many photographers and there’s not the “paparazzi culture” like there is in LA and New York. So they bought that big house and they’re paying for their own security. Why, then, is a British newspaper like the Telegraph filing FOIA requests to see how many times Santa Barbara police were called to the Sussexes’ property? Is it because the British media can’t let this f–king go?
Police were called to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Southern California home nine times in as many months, it emerged Thursday — after the couple expressed security concerns during their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Since the couple moved into their Montecito home with 1-year-old Archie in July 2020, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office responded to calls listed as phone requests, alarm activations and property crimes, the Telegraph reported, citing data obtained under Freedom of Information laws.
Police were called to their mansion four times that month during the early morning hours after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved from Los Angeles, where they had lived temporarily after leaving Canada at the beginning of the pandemic. One call was listed as a phone request while the others were labeled “alarm activations,” according to the news outlet.An August request was listed as “Misc Priority Incident,” while there was another alarm in November.
At 4:13 p.m. on Christmas Eve, deputies were called after a man allegedly trespassed on the property, according to the data. A 37-year-old man was booked into jail on a misdemeanor trespassing charge and later released, the sheriff’s office said. On Dec. 26, police were called at 2:54 p.m., which was listed under “Property Crimes.”
The most recent call — listed as an alarm activation — was at 2:21 a.m. Feb. 16, according to the report. Representatives for the Sussexes declined to comment to the Guardian and a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide details about the calls.
I would assume at least some of these are photographers scaling the fence and setting off one of the perimeter alarms? I would also assume that there are some actual lunatics stalking them, or racists looking to harm them, that kind of thing. I don’t know why the British press is treating this like some kind of “gotcha.” Harry knew that his family needed protection. When the family pulled his protection, Tyler Perry stepped in to cover them, then Harry used his trust to protect his family and he’s making money so that his family is safe. Clearly, the Windsors were happy to leave Harry, Meghan and Archie for dead. The Windsors were actively trying to facilitate harm coming to this young family. And now the British press is trying to make it sound like Harry and Meghan are being hunted, and like that’s some big joke. It’s not.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid and Avalon Red.
I wonder, is 9 times in 9 months, especially if this includes alarms going off sometimes randomly, a lot or not? How many times are other people living in that area, especially celebrities, visited by the police for these reasons?
My guess is they have a very good alarm system so there aren’t that many “random” alarms. When I lived in a house with an alarm, the police did charge you for false alarm calls (I think one was considered “free” and then you got charged) because they couldn’t have the police tied up with alarm malfunctions all over the city. It gave you an incentive to make sure your alarm system was working.
I think 9 calls sounds like a lot, but am not sure compared to other celebs in the area obviously.
Yes. I have an alarm system and it will go off at the slightest loud noise. I’m usually there to turn it off. But there have been a few times I was out of the house and the alarm went off and the police had to come and check it and my security company called to check on me before they cleared the alarm. Then I later got a letter in the mail and a bill from the police charging me for the visit. It was like $15 dollars, but I found it annoying.
So, let’s not assume every police call was a severe breach. Most of them were probably nosy people and paparazzi sniffing around the edges and triggering their perimeter alarms. I’m sure Harry and Meghan are paying for a level of security that will get the police to check it out. I’m sure all of their rich neighbors have the same.
@Snuffles
In our old home (this was about 17 yrs ago) we had a hard-wired security system and FD would arrive when babysitters set off the smoke detector cooking. Yes, they are celebrities, but maybe not all the alarms were intrusions. I hope!
This proves the Sussexes point about security. I think someone should do a comparison with all the threats they received in the UK where 2 men actually went to prison. I am just thankful they relocated thousands of miles away for their safety.
Absolutely. God. I deluded myself into thinking that they were safe here. I can’t imagine having a little one and having to worry about safety – constantly – in your own home. Knowing that people actively want to do you harm and that your family is goading those people on. That’s unforgivable. Deeply truly unforgivable.
I don’t even understand the point of this FOIA request? Police were called due to harassment-it’s not like the police are complaining that they’re being expected to provide unusual support. WTF is their goal?
To hurt them, and absolve themselves?
To prove British press is not at fault, because they are stalked even in the US?
The point of the FOIA request, like Archie’s birth certificate request, is to give the Daily Fail something factual to manufacture 15 made-up stories about.
The goal was more press harassment. The papers are saying- “We’re going to pursue you no matter where you live, you are our property as British royals”. We’ll go to whatever lengths we need to even filing FOIA requests.
It’s abuse pure and simple. Institutional abuse. When you move somewhere to get away from these entities and they continue to pursue, that’s abuse.
I honestly wish there was some kind of restraining order they could get here because this is absurd.
I think they were hoping Americans would be in an uproar about paying for their security, which is stupid. The MAGA hats don’t live in Socal and so aren’t paying for the police there and even then police funding is mostly going to come from Santa Barbara county. It’s possible Harry and Meghan have to pay a fee when the police come out for alarm activations. If that’s the case, there’s even less to complain about. I suspect alarm activation calls are pretty regular where they live.
To trivialize the threat that the family is under? When you lead with the number of calls per month, it gives the impression the police are running themselves ragged chasing every looky-lou who comes near their fence.
That would shore up the position that the firm was right to pull their funding for security, and H & M’s fears were more special snowflake than “there are credible threats to harm us.”
Right?!?! You are spot on about this. As Harry said, “a change in status is not a change in risk.” They deserve better than this!
I still maintain that they are safer in the US than in the UK.
Absolutely. There’s no comparison between the security threats, the US is safer.
In the UK a disturbed person has made it to the Queen’s bed in the middle of the night WHILE she was in it and sat on it. That same person got into the palace while everyone was asleep and sat on the throne in another incident.
There’s been numerous assassination plots aimed at the queen over the years, including once where a man fired at her during Trooping.
Princess Anne was carjacked and a person attempted to abduct her by gunpoint, shooting 4 people in the process. He remains jailed for attempted murder and kidnapping.
And let’s not forget Lord Mountbatten and a boatload of people were actually blown up by a bomb in the UK and killed.
And these are just a few of the major incidents, there’s been numerous other plots broken up until this very day that continues.
It was William. The Queen peeper. Throne sneaker.
That is terrifying. They are definitely posting security threats because they are not in “THE FIRM” anymore. Like they would never post a security threat about Kate or Camilla, but they don’t care if they inflame the situation about M&H.
I dont know why I continue to be surprised by the actual distasteful trash the media is printing but I am.
But don’t forget this is something the royal family could put a stop to. But they don’t and won’t.
I don’t understand how this a gotcha against them. I definitely think it’s one the British press pulled on themselves and the BRF. Harry said they weren’t going to offer Meghan and Archie protection then they pulled his protection. This just proves his point and shows they’re heartless monsters that don’t care if they end up dead.
Mess on top of mess
The majority of these calls were when they were in LA. They make it sound like they were better protected in the UK, I’m sure the security threats were more higher in the UK.
They were and they explicitly stated the security for them there was nonexistent.
Who knows what the number of security calls were, there…these are just the publicized ones!
These calls were from their home in Santa Barbara (which is not in LA) according to the article. What’s your point?
I read that there were 5 calls at the first LA residence they stayed at, then 9 calls at their new home. It only proves that for their family security is a must, not a luxury. At least in California they control their home and have some rights over photos taken of their children, that isn’t something British tabloid will ever allow.
They’ll need to stop giving ALL the money they get from lawsuits away to charity and help ensure they have a robust security team that they don’t skimp on.
The press can be the worst sometimes. But if anything I think it makes the Sussexes point about needing security. And if Charles won’t pay for it then they need to work to afford it.
This is scary. I’m not sure why the press is reporting on this, did they think that Harry was exaggerating when he said his family needed protection? did they think he was lying? Harry was branded a race traitor, they were sent white powder, they had to leave their Cotswolds house due to media intrusion, Meghan has sued a paparazzi photo agency for illegal pictures – this is a real threat and only a total idiot wouldn’t see it that way.
The “voice request” is the scary one to me, bc I’m interpreting that as meaning that someone called 911, right? so Harry or Meghan or a staffer was there and was scared because of something. I’ve never called 911 outside of car accidents so I can’t imagine how scary it is to feel so unsafe in your home that you need to call.
The very scary thing is that the British Media, aided and abetted by Cain, will stop at nothing to break up the Sussex marriage, make Harry return to the UK as a broken man to be their whipping boy. They (the BM and Cain) do NOT care about the danger they are putting the Sussex and their children in and its only a matter of time before some nut job tries their luck.
William is a dangerous sociopath who will never stop trying to destroy his brother and his SIL.
They must document every single time anyone is trespassing. It’s a paper trail of harassment. So awful.
The fact that the RF knew that Harry, his wife, and child were in danger and they still pulled security and still leaked their location several times to the media. You have to be really heartless to wish evil on your beloved brother and/or son like that. And they wonder Harry says that he needs space.
I’m willing to bet it was worse in the UK and just isn’t being reported. No one will convince me they’re safer in the UK.
British press hit a new low!
To them this is a joke, to the people that follow them its again a joke.
We are talking about people’s safety and lives here. What kind of monsters are these people?
My read on it is different-they’re trying to make it look like Harry and Meghan are pestering the police. They filed the FOIA to try to “prove” that these are minor incidents, and that Harry and Meghan are just delusional, dramatic, and high maintenance.
Just evil, imo.
That’s how I see it as well.
This was the fails spin. Was that they were being drama queens
2 of these were setup calls, 2 were a stalker in December, and the rest were activations. I have a alarm and the dog sets off the motion detectors sometimes.
Agree that is what is being attempted by The Telegraph. Harry or Meghan wouldn’t be the ones to make the phone calls to the police. That would be done by their security people. Happy to see the alarms and security are working.
It’s the British press that are paying photographers for exclusive photos of Harry and Meghan. So the press needs to shut about this and leave them alone.
The Telegraph is always snooping around for stories on The Sussexes, I remember they broke the name Archewell, before H&M could even disclose it to the public themselves. I think these papers, can’t function without mentioning The Sussexes’s names. I think an exception should be made for H&M, for any disclosure of their security details, since they are a high risk couple and their position is unique. RIP Prince Philip.
I’m going to assume the majority of these are paparazzi trying to breach the perimeter. Then there was that random crazy. I’m also assuming their security dealt with it and informed Harry and Meghan with the details later.
I’m not making light of this but this was totally expected and celebrities deal with this all the time.
This just proves Harry right that he needs security. And no, he wouldn’t be safer in the UK either. The paparazzi breached their places all the time.
that “random crazy” drove from Ohio. that doesn’t sound very random.
Doesn’t strike me as random either. One of the tumblr crazies flew from the UK to NYC to harrass Meghan outside the baby shower hotel. Egged on by dozens of other crazies on tumblr. Also traveled to Windsor the day of Archie’s birth and posted photos of the path next to Frogmore, how close she could get, etc.
It’s because one of the Royal Reporters’ claims is they’re actually less protected in the US and especially California than in Britain where the press would, according to them, never dream of something like that. You can’t make this crap up.
It kind of amazes me how celebrity homes can be breached even with cameras, gated and ground security. Keanu, Rihanna, Eminem and recently Johnny Depps homes were all broken into by lunatics.
no machine driven system can outwit a crazy person with an agenda. Stalkers are inherently irrational, and can always find ways to bypass systems. A camera just records something, but its presence insinuates that being caught on camera would be a deterrent–not for a motivated person who just wants to breach security and see how far they can get before they get caught. Gates can be climbed, and no security guard is omnipresent. Security is important and necessary for public figures, but all security systems have limits due to the cunning and persistence of determined humans.
That’s why you have a dog/s. They make noise which alerts the home owner so they can call the cops or activate the alarm. If I have a dog I expect him to alert me or wake me with his barking. His job is to let me know there’s a problem so I can call 911. I don’t expect my dog to attack and stop an intruder, that’s a good way to get your dog killed.
I walked in my door once and all 4 cats were staring at the kitchen doorway. I knew there was someone in my house, this wasn’t their normal behaviour. I called out and it turned out to be a friend who was expected, but still scary. Your animal is quite helpful even if they’re silent about it.
They need a pack of big, mean dogs patrolling their grounds if they’ve got crazies scaling their fence and trespassing.
Agreed. Belgian Malinois. Between 3-5 of them.
When I first bought my house, the police came three times in the first few months. My alarm system was a bit too sensitive when it was first installed and would go off when it was too windy. If I couldn’t get to the alarm in time to disarm it (or I hit the disarm code incorrectly) the police were called. It was a little bumpy at first, and I don’t have to worry about paparazzi and crazy people trying to break in. I feel like this isn’t a huge deal considering who they are, though it does go to show that they DO very much need security 24/7.
I wonder if they have an electric fence around their perimeter. If not, the Sussex Squad needs to make that their next fundraiser. Let’s tase some effers for fun. 🤷♀️
I hope they get those drone trappers that shoot paparazzi drones out of the sky. They’re like glorified T-Shirt cannons that shoot nets at drones – and they have motion tracking.
If that’s in the US where most people aren’t that crazy about the Royals imagine what’s was like for them in the UK lets not forget Meghan wasn’t going to get security & Archie.. I think they had a greater threat from lunatics in the UK than those in the US but the press focuses on US security issues to make H&M seem ungrateful for their wonderful life at the firm that they left..
Scary! Doesn’t this kind of prove why the Sussexes need security and why it was so troubling to cut them off?
No one seems to have asked the question that is burning a path in my brain (my apologies if I missed it):
Why did the police/sheriffs (legal authority) RELEASE the information to an ‘alien’ newspaper?
FOI’s I thought were the purvey of the CITIZENS of that country.
So I could call up England’s police station, ask how many illegal entries have been made to Prince William’s home AND GET AN ANSWER?????
Why was the information released to The Telegraph?
That’s my question. That’s what I want to know. FOI abuse is what it sounds like to me…and sheriffs & law enforcement HAPPY to provide security details and further endanger Prince Harry and Princess Henry. Is this not actionable? Why release this info to a British newspaper and is Murdoch involved ????????????
I am sure the tabloid had an American affiliate that actually filed for the release of any 911 calls from their address. While it is legal, for this purpose it is immoral and sick. (They can also get voice recording to 911) Makes you think twice about calling for help when it becomes the “tabloid” headline the next slow cycle. Gossip rags need to go.. grocery stores and markets need to pull them all from their shelves. They promote nothing of importance.
This is the threat they live with, and Prince Charles yanked their security. What a despicable human being.
I hope they have a panic room, I would think it would have been on the list with all the bathrooms.
I’m 100% sure they do. And you know M makes sure that they practice in a way that makes Archie feel empowered and comfortable.
So the Guardian, wrote the original article? Why are they even investigating & reporting on this type of story? These “so-called journalists” need to have their private lives & their family lives investigated since they seem to feel as though this is an appropriate news story.