An 88-year-old Navy veteran named Frank McGinity said he tried to be “neighborly” by offering Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a gift when they moved to Montecito, but was promptly snubbed.
McGinity claimed he didn’t even have an opportunity to speak with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex about the present he was trying to give them, because a security guard denied him at the door, according to The Independent. The Navy veteran reportedly made some films about the history of the Montecito area, and wanted the former royals to enjoy his production.
“Harry and Meghan live on old McCormick property and I went up to their gate with the films on a CD, but they weren’t interested,” McGinity said, according to The Independent.
He described what his encounter was like, after trying to be kind and extend a warm welcome to the new neighbors in his community.
“The gate guy turned me away and wouldn’t take the film, just saying ‘they’re not interested.’ I was trying to be neighborly,” McGinity said.
McGinity said he has been living next to Harry and Markle since they first moved into their home in 2020, and has not been able to make progress with his special gift, per The Independent.
US Navy Veteran, Frank McGinity, lives next door to Sussexes. The elderly man said he tried to welcome Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2020. He offered tapes on history of their property. They rudely declined. Security sent him away 😬@WeAreInvictushttps://t.co/IIggI62H3i
— Mollie’sMama (@ccrook1974) July 24, 2023
“I have a big house next to Harry and Meghan’s property and I live in the guest house while renting the main house out on Airbnb,” McGinity said in his memoir titled “Get Off Your Street,” according to The Independent.
He shed some light on what the energy of the local area was really like.
“We don’t see them very much around here. It’s surprising they came here,” he said. (RELATED: REPORT: Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Aren’t Receiving A Warm Welcome In Potential New Neighborhood)
“People are typically older. It’s where the elephants come to die,” he said.
When asked how far away he lives from their property, McGinity said he is a “tiara’s toss or two” from where the Sussex’s reside, according to The Independent.