Sheriff called to Sussexes’ home in California nine times

POLICE have been called to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s California home nine times in as many months, it has emerged, after the couple expressed concern about the decision to strip them of round-the-clock police protection.

Since the couple moved to Montecito, Santa Barbara, in July last year, the County Sheriff ’s Office in Santa Barbara has responded to calls listed as phone requests, alarm activations and property crimes.

The details, obtained under freedom of information laws, were released after the couple shared their fears during their interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Duchess, 39, revealed that she had written letters pleading with the Royal family not to take away her husband’s personal protection officers, warning that he faced death threats.

She complained that depriving their son, Archie, of a title had put his safety at risk and said there had been “no explanation” for the decision.

British police protection for the Sussexes was withdrawn after they stepped down from royal duties, following a meeting of the government body that oversees royal and VIP protection.

The Prince of Wales then refused to foot the bill out of his own pocket.

The Duke, 36, admitted he “never thought” he would have his security detail removed when they broke away from the monarchy. “I was born into this position. I inherited the risk. So that was a shock to me,” he said.

The couple now pay their security bill themselves. The cost is so high it is thought to have been their reason for seeking lucrative business deals with companies such as Netflix and Spotify.

Officers were called to the couple’s home four times last July after they moved to Montecito from Los Angeles, where they lived temporarily after leaving Canada at the start of the pandemic.

One call is listed as a phone request and the others are labelled “alarm activations”. All occurred in the early hours of the morning. An August request is listed as “Misc Priority Incdnt”, and there was a further alarm in November.

At 4.13pm on Christmas Eve, sheriff ’s deputies were called out after a man was alleged to have trespassed.

Officers returned to the house on Boxing Day at 2.54pm for a call listed under “Property Crimes”. Nickolas Brooks, 37, was booked into jail on a misdemeanour trespassing charge and later released, the sheriff ’s office said. The most recent call was at 2.21am on Feb 16 this year and is listed as an alarm activation.

Representatives for the Sussexes declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the County Sheriff ’s Office declined to give further details about the calls.

Explaining his decision to leave Canada for the US, the Duke told Winfrey: “The biggest concern was while we were in Canada... I then got told, short notice, that security was going to be removed. By this point, courtesy of The Daily Mail, the world knew our exact location.

“So suddenly it dawned on me – hang on a second, the borders could be closed, we’re going to have our security removed, who knows how long lockdown is going to be, the world knows where we are, it’s not safe, it’s not secure, we probably need to get out.”

‘It dawned on me – hang on a second, we’re going to have our security removed, the world knows where we are, it’s not safe, it’s not secure’