Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged not leave Montecito or face 'biggest security risk of their lives'
PA
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been warned they will be taking “the biggest security risk of their lives” if they move from Montecito.
The warning follows reports the couple are "casually house hunting" in Malibu.
According to a top US security expert, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will become “sitting ducks” in the coastal area just outside LA.
“If they’re bothered by the paparazzi and intruders at their mansion in Montecito 90 miles away, it will be considerably worse in Malibu, where their profile will be even higher," Kent Moyer, boss of the Beverly Hills-based World Protection Group told The Express.
According to a top US security expert, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will become 'sitting ducks' in the coastal area just outside LA
PA“Far more serious, however, is the risk of a terrorist attack or kidnap attempt on them and their family."
This follows Harry’s claim, in his book Spare, that he killed 25 Taliban members while serving with the British Army in Afghanistan.
Moyer added that it would be a “grave error” for the Sussexes to even share where they intend to live.
He said: “As things stand, any tourist – let alone a trained assassin – can easily find their home.”
The couple's Montecito property “is almost a local landmark”, according to Moyer but a property in Malibu would likely attract “ten times the attention.”
The expert said: “It’s also disturbing that their names are right there in local public records of property ownership.
“Most high-risk VIPs form anonymous-sounding companies through which they buy homes, so they can’t be traced so easily. Harry and Meghan simply haven’t bothered with this very easy step.”
Over the course of the last 18 months, the couple's house has seen a breach of the perimeter of their fiver acre Montecito estate twice and their alarm system has been accidentally triggered at least six times.
The couple's Montecito property 'is almost a local landmark', according to Moyer but a property in Malibu would likely attract 'ten times the attention'
PADiscussing moving to Malibu, Moyer said: “The main access road, Pacific Coast Highway, is very narrow in parts and often blocked in winter by mudslides and landslides.
"That would be a nightmare if they were looking to escape an attack by car.
“The fact is, they should be vanishing from public view completely unless they are attending a public function. Turning themselves into even higher profile targets and telling everyone where they live is not the answer.”