Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face urgent evacuation from 'high risk' mansion as fires close in

Devastating wildfires have been sweeping across Los Angeles in California and it seems that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Montecito mansion may be at risk from the blazes

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were today facing evacuation from their palatial mansion because of the devastating wildfires sweeping California.

Electricity companies around Montecito, where the couple have lived in a "high fire risk" property since 2020, suggested on Wednesday that shut downs of power were possible. This raised the prospect of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex having to move to safety with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

A spokesman for Southern California Edison (SCE) – one of the major power providers in the area – said it was "considering a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in parts of Santa Barbara County due to a Red Flag Warning and increased risk of wildfires". He confirmed "affected customers" were being contacted in a number of communities, "including Montecito".

The Sussexes' address is in a "High Fire Risk Area", and "power may be shut off during a PSPS to prevent wildfires," the spokesman added. It cames as 30,000 people were told to evacuate their homes in nearby Los Angeles as wildfires, whipped up by strong winds, raged across the wealthy neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades.

Thousands of acres were burnt in the hills around the Palisades which – like Montecito – is an affluent coastal community with some of the most expensive properties in the USA. Utility companies shut off power to more than 8,000 homes to prevent live electrical wires from increasing the fire risk. In 2017, one of California's largest ever wildfires was reached Montecito, but it survived with only minor damage.

The town of some 10,000 people has a strict fire control programme in place, which ensures everything from clearing up dried leaves to installling fire-proofing in every building. Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, bought their 16-bathroom home for $14.65 million in the summer of 2020, and now live their with son Archie, five, and three-year-old daughter Lilibet, 3.

The couple have frequently been criticised by environmentalists for maintaining lush green gardens in an area where water shortages are common. A-list neighbors including Oprah Winfrey and, until recently, Ellen DeGeneres.

News of the worrying nearby wildfires comes just hours after Meghan also revealed her devastation following the death of one of her beloved companions. Meghan revealed the news about her rescue beagle Guy in a post on Instagram on Monday night.

"I have cried too many tears to count," she wrote. “The type of tears that make you get in the shower with the absurd hope that the running water on your face will somehow make you not feel them, or pretend they’re not there. But they are. And that’s OK too.”

Paying tribute to Guy, the duchess said he had been at a shelter in Kentucky in 2015 and had been given just days to live when she adopted him from a rescue centre in Canada.

Pictures in the Instagram post show Guy at Meghan’s side and with her husband, the Duke of Sussex, and their children, Archie and Lili. She added that Guy makes a key appearance in her new Netflix series With Love, Meghan and said she thinks viewers will fall in love with him too.

The eight-part series, which launches on January 15, sees Meghan inviting friends and famous guests to a California estate, where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips. "I hope you’ll come to understand why I am so devastated by his loss," she said. Meghan also revealed that she chose Guy’s name after he was referred to as “the little guy” at the rescue centre because he was small and frail. The Sussexes have two other dogs – another rescue beagle called Mia and a black Labrador called Pula.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, it was revealed that the value of the couple's Californian mansion has doubled since they bought the property in 2020. The sprawling nine-bedroom home in Montecito was bought by the couple after they quit the UK and royal life for $14.6million (£11.6million). However, new estimates by property website Zillow show that the home could now command upwards of $29million (£23.2million) - meaning the property has increased in value by a whopping £11.6million.

The huge jump comes as California has seen a huge increase in property prices over the last few months. Hannah Jones, a senior economic research analyst for Realtor.com, told Newsweek the average house price in California in the past five years has shot up 29.7 per cent, while in Montecito itself, that figure rises to 47.3 per cent.

But despite Meghan's new show appearing to give a glimpse inside her and Harry's home, it seems it will not be the case. That's because it has been reported that With Love, Meghan was actually filmed elsewhere - at a neighbour's $6million property.