How Prince Harry, Orlando Bloom Bonded Due To Paparazzi In Montecito

Prince Harry has received help from one Hollywood star in avoiding paparazzi lurking in their neighborhood: Orlando Bloom.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into their new permanent base, a $14 million mansion in Montecito, California, in July 2020. But despite being in a gated community, the royal couple and their celebrity neighbors are not safe from the paparazzi.

When Prince Harry appeared on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast Thursday, he revealed how he and Bloom have bonded due to the photographers lurking nearby their homes in order to capture pictures of them.

"Just two days ago, Orlando Bloom sent me a message — because he's just down the road and we sort of keep in contact because of the paparazzi — he sent me a photograph which his security got of this long-haired guy with a beanie on, with his ear pods in, with his massive camera lying in the back of his 4x4 truck," Prince Harry was quoted by People as saying.

"A woman driving who did the peace sign sitting there as a distraction, and he is laid down in the back of this truck taking photographs of them out with their kid and whoever else is in that area," he continued. "How is that normal, how is that acceptable?"

Prince Harry has grown up under the spotlight, but he made it clear he didn’t want to live in a fishbowl. Even though the paparazzi are still eyeing him and his family following their move to the U.S., he said he feels that things have gotten "way better" after they relocated to California last year.

"Here, I can actually lift my head and I feel different. My shoulders have dropped, so has hers," Prince Harry said of Markle. "You walk around feeling a little bit more free. I get to take Archie on the back of my bicycle. I never had the chance to do that."

Prince Harry and his wife have battled the paparazzi in the past. They previously sued Splash News and Picture Agency over pictures taken of Markle with their son Archie in Horth Hill Regional Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, in January last year. The lawsuit was settled in March.

A spokesperson of Schillings, the legal representation for Prince Harry and Markle in the lawsuit, said in a statement, "This settlement is a clear signal that unlawful, invasive, and intrusive paparazzi behavior will not be tolerated, and that the couple takes these matters seriously—just as any family would."

Last month, Markle was photographed stepping out with their son just days after Prince Harry returned to California from the U.K. following Prince Philip's funeral. The sighting raised some eyebrows because the mother and son's pictures were published a day before Prince Louis' birthday. Many accused Markle of trying to upstage Prince William and Kate Middleton's youngest son.