No one is saying that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are putting the Cotswolds “on the map” by house-hunting in the area for their big UK return. Famous artists and celebrities have always been drawn to the area, and many well-known British people have their country homes in the Cotswolds. This situation is similar to Montecito – people knew about the elite enclave before the Sussexes moved there, but Harry and Meghan’s presence drove global interest and raised property values across the board. Harry and Meghan are absolutely influencers, in real estate, fashion, brand-building and everything else. Well, Women’s Wear Daily had a great piece about all of the global interest in the Sussexes and the Cotswolds. WWD included some hysterically unhinged comments from that rancid old fart Tom Bower too.

As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle continue their house hunting in the U.K., fans and foes are following updates about where they might land. Speculation continues to swirl about where in the Cotswolds they could buy a house, how many millions they might spend and which private prep school their children, Archie and Lilibet, are enrolled in.

Spanning 800-square miles and consisting of five counties — Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire — the Cotswolds is known for its rolling hills, golden stone, gardens and storybook towns and villages. The area is familiar territory to the couple, who leased a four-bedroom farmhouse that included a two-bedroom cottage and converted farmhouse near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire in May 2018. And growing up, Harry spent many weekends at Highgrove House in Gloucestershire.

The Cotswolds have long been a retreat for designers, photographers, models and fashion types like former Barneys New York fashion director Amanda Brooks, who relocated to Oxfordshire more than a decade ago and runs the country chic boutique Cutter Brooks. Lulu Guinness, Kate Moss and Claudia Schiffer are among the second home owners. Moss has a 10-bedroom manse in Little Farington near West Oxfordshire. Instead of high fashion and high heels, waxed Barbour jackets, jeans, Birkenstocks and Blundstones are the unofficial uniform.

“Watching Harry and Meghan search for a house is like watching HGTV or browsing listings on Zillow,” said Benjamin J. Keys, professor of real estate and finance at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “House-hunting a perfect fit with royal-watching, because following the royal family is always aspirational. It gives many people an outlet for their dream home.”

Harvey Holland, the luxury estate agency in the Cotswolds, has “certainly had an increase in inquiries and conversations,” since the news of the Sussexes’ return broke, according to managing director Emma Brooks. “The Cotswolds has had a very high profile for years, so Harry and Meghan haven’t suddenly put it on the map. What their story does demonstrate, however, is how attractive the area has become internationally.”

Insiders said there is a very British attitude to celebrity here — you might know someone famous is sitting in the pub, but you generally carry on with your Sunday lunch.

Amid the increased interest in the area, “Revenge: Harry, Meghan and the War Between the Windsors” author Tom Bower suggested some are tuned into their search for other reasons.

“Their home is a political statement of intent. Their presence in Britain is the beginning of a crisis, badly managed by the King [Charles III]. And there is no easy solution imaginable without real damage to the monarchy,” Bower said. Britons are “anxious to know not only where the Sussexes will live, but why they have returned to Britain,” he added. Where they live will dictate whether they live private or faux royal lives and “whether they intend to pose a challenge and problems to the Royal Family,” Bower said.

Should they choose to live in a country mansion, then they will “probably seek to pretend they are working royals,” the “Revenge” author said. Whereas, a modest Cotswold cottage would signal their intention “to remain private and quiet.” Bower is banking on the pair to choose something “resembling grandeur so that they can push their campaign to be recognized as royals, and defeat William and Kate.”

[From WWD]

“…They can push their campaign to be recognized as royals, and defeat William and Kate.” Bower is absolutely bonkers. I’m doing some royal-trendspotting too – there’s a marked rise in a talking point about “King Charles’ reign is in crisis because the Sussexes are buying a home in the Cotswolds.” If a whole-ass monarchy cannot function because Harry and Meghan bought a home in a scenic area, then that says more about the monarchy than the Sussexes. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how “the Meghan Effect” for Cotswolds real estate is reported across the board. Y’all know the British country-home market is going bonkers.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.