Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were today facing evacuation from their palatial mansion because of the devastating wildfires sweeping California.
Electricity companies around Montecito, where the couple have lived in a ‘high fire risk’ property since 2020, suggested on Wednesday that shut downs of power were possible.
This raised the prospect of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex having to move to safety with their two young children, Archie and Lilibet.
A spokesman for Southern California Edison (SCE) – one of the major power providers in the area – said it was ‘considering a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in parts of Santa Barbara County due to a Red Flag Warning and increased risk of wildfires.’
He confirmed ‘affected customers’ were being contacted in a number of communities, ‘including Montecito’.
The Sussex address is ‘is in a High Fire Risk Area,’ and ‘Power may be shut off during a PSPS to prevent wildfires,’ the spokesman added.
It cames as 30,000 people were told to evacuate their homes in nearby Los Angeles as wildfires, whipped up by strong winds, raged across the wealthy neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades.
Thousands of acres were burnt in the hills around the Palisades which – like Montecito – is an affluent coastal community with some of the most expensive properties in the USA.
Utility companies shut off power to more than 8,000 homes to prevent live electrical wires from increasing the fire risk.
In 2017, one of California’s largest ever wildfires was reached Montecito, but it survived with only minor damage.
The town of some 10,000 people has a strict fire control programme in place, which ensures everything from clearing up dried leaves to installling fire-proofing in every building.
Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, bought their 16-bathroom home for $14.65 million in the summer of 2020, and now live their with son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 3.
The couple have frequently been criticised by environmentalists for maintaining lush green gardens in an area where water shortages are common.
A-list neighbors including Oprah Winfrey and, until recently, Ellen DeGeneres.