Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go out of their way to be ‘good neighbours’ with this grand gesture

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have gone out of their way to be 'good neighbours' after they made a grand gesture in their LA neighbourhood.
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have funded a Christmas event in their community which they've been praised.
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex paid for a brand new Christmas event in Montecito.
- This royal news comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Christmas card 2021 could be set to honour Princess Diana for the first time.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shared some kind-hearted Christmas spirit with their neighbours after they stumped up the cash to pay for a new festive event.
The Sussexes, who moved to LA last year, after they stepped back from the royal family, have gone the extra mile to ensure their community enjoys the festive season - and have just released their family Christmas card for 2021 with the first glimpse of Lilibet-Diana with son Archie.
The couple, who live among A-listers including Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and Bruce Willis, enjoyed celebrating the 4th of July and as a result, decided to pay for a new Christmas event in their community.
Sharon Byrne, Chief of the Montecito Association, told Good Morning Britain about the couple's kind-hearted gesture, "I have to tell you that Harry and Meghan did sponsor our first ever Montecito holiday parade. They were the first people to sponsor it," she said.
And she described them as, "Very good neighbours."
But if you're wondering how Harry and Meghan, who have son Archie, two and daughter Lilibet-Diana, six months, got involved, Sharon explained, "They reached out to us last year, and we gave them some assistance with some issues they were having when they moved in, and they said, right how do we join and what are we doing?
"They came to the fourth of July parade, and no one knew it was them, and they waved at everybody at the fourth of July parade, and then they called me, and they said we'd really like to help with that.
"So I said we had a Christmas parade coming up, why don't you do that? And so they did," she said.
Thanks to the generosity of Prince Harry and Meghan, Montecito held its first-ever Montecito Car Parade of Lights.
According to the Montecito Journal, the theme was ‘Holiday Magic’ and at the end of the article, they thanked the sponsors including local residents Harry and Meghan.
It read, 'Thanks to the many parade sponsors including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle who were first to donate…'
Kids from one to 92 lined the streets of the parade route cheering on the brightly-lit cars decorated with toys, garland, Santa’s mailbox, sleighs, pets, holiday music, and more. It’s hoped that the event becomes an annual attraction.
You can see some of the decorated vehicles in the Instagram post below, swipe for images...
Speaking of their "tight-knit" neighbourhood, Sharon added, "During the pandemic, Montecitans were excited because they didn't have to leave their house like they usually have to do - they all got to stay home for a change."
Meghan has previously got festive by joining in to make Christmas decorations during her visit to the Royal Variety Charity's residential nursing and care home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham, south west London on December 18, 2018.
The couple is expected to celebrate Christmas in the US rather than travel to the UK to spend Christmas with the Queen, who has since had her Christmas plans crumbled.
The Sussexes are expected to release their annual Christmas card today.
Selina is a Senior Entertainment Writer for Goodto.com, Woman&Home, and My Imperfect Life with more than 16 years of experience in newspapers and magazines. She currently writes a mix of Entertainment news - including baby news, weddings, reporting the the latest news about the Royal kids Prince George, Charlotte, Louis, Archie and Lilibet as well as Family news stories. Before joining Future Publishing, Selina graduated from the University of Sheffield in 2006 with a degree in Journalism. She is fully NCTJ and NCE qualified and has 100wpm shorthand. When she's not interviewing celebrities you can find her exploring new countryside walking routes, catching up with friends over good food, or making memories.
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