Various theories have been put forward for the surprise return of the Sussexes to the UK. They include the King’s cancer, the lack of Ludgrove-style schools and missing old pals and the country house shooting season. But my gut feeling, as somebody who also headed home after living in California in the 1990s, is that the real reason is a combo of British Expat Burnout Syndrome and what Tom Wolfe described as ‘Going Broke on a Million Dollars a Year’.
As with so many of us who flocked to California, Harry’s expat dream has fizzled out
First, the expat thing. As with so many of us who flocked to California in search of sun, freedom and escapism, Harry’s expat dream has fizzled out. The Duke of Sussex – whom one can imagine growing up with all the cliché preconceptions of California that come from Beverly Hills Cop and Baywatch – may have longed to escape the shackles of his royal background and reinvent himself as a progressive Mid-Atlantic Prince. But life in his gated Montecito mansion has been a gilded prison. Faced with his share of the £34.4 million legal costs after his failed court case against Associated News, I wouldn’t be surprised if he put their Provence-style Montecito house on the market. The couple bought the 7.38-acre estate in June 2020 for $14.6 million (around £12 million). If they do sell, the Sussexes would walk away with enough profit to pay Harry’s share of the bills.
