Who necessitating Montecito? The VERY starry Cotswolds pubs the place Meghan and Harry can nonetheless hobnob with Hollywood

The Cotswolds, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly moving to imminently, might feel a million miles away from glitzy Montecito, the Californian enclave the couple are trading in for a new chapter in the UK. 

While the former is a picture-perfect portion of rural England, all honey-coloured villages, thatched cottages and rolling hills, Montecito is more sprawling gated mansions and mountain-to-ocean views. 

However, there’s one thing both places very much have in common, and it’s likely to have influenced the Duke and Duchess’ thinking about their potential new home. 

The ratio of mere mortals to celebrities is disproportionately high; you can rub shoulders with an A-lister at the drop of a hat in these discerning destinations on opposite sides of the Atlantic.  

And while, just like in Montecito, many celebrities reside on vast estates away from prying eyes, they do occasionally come out to play, with the Cotswolds’ raft of historic pubs their favourite port of call. 

From Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi to the Beckhams, Kate Moss, Liam Gallagher, Jeremy Clarkson and Damien Hirst, there are famous faces galore who call the Cotswolds home.

The area’s most famous resident – and one who was there long before the rest – is Harry’s father, the King. The prince’s cousins, Beatrice, Eugenie and Zara Tindall, are also regularly spotted in the area.

Over the last 30 years, the Cotswolds has become the rural hideaway of choice for major stars, with the Beckhams regularly sharing snaps of their lives there

Charles’s Cotswolds’ home, Highgrove, close to the royal town of Tetbury, was the venue for the Duke and Duchess’ recent private reunion with the Monarch – a meeting that may have spurred on the couple to return to UK shores with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

So, where might Harry and Meghan go for a quick pint or a Sunday roast in their new home – and feel right at home… 

An old stomping ground: The Tunnel House Inn 

Cotswold beauty: Just 15 minutes’ drive from Highgrove, The Tunnel Inn is tucked away in rural countryside and was a firm favourite of the royal family before closing in 2020

This remote 18th century pub, tucked away in rural farmland just 15 minutes from the King’s Highgrove estate, was a firm favourite with the young Prince of Wales and Duke of Sussex before their high-profile falling out.

The off-the-beaten track pub often saw the brothers sharing a pint while staying at their father’s Cotswolds retreat…but the popular inn was left in need of major restoration after its previous owners called time on running it due to a rental disagreement. 

At one time, speculation suggested that the pub might have been the venue for Prince Harry losing his virginity in 2001 – but the Duke of Sussex clarified in his memoir Spare that the encounter had actually taken place at The Vine Tree Inn, in the Wiltshire village of Norton.  

The centuries-old pub, popular with walkers and close to the small West Country village of Coates, first shut its doors – and boarded up the windows – during the pandemic in 2020.

However, local publican Peter Austen, who also runs The Bell in nearby Sapperton, re-opened the historic pub after extensively renovating in June this year.

Spice up your life: The Fox, Oddington

The Fox (pictured), Bamford’s latest business venture, is a ‘million miles from a traditional Cotswolds pub’, according to Jane, though she notes that it has two ‘traditional’ rooms off the main bar

Owned by Daylesford Organic creator Carole Bamford, wife of billionaire Tory donor and JCB chairman Lord Bamford, The Fox is a character-filled pub with six trendy suites for guests who want to stay a little longer. 

Who might you spy perched at the oak bar, by the large inglenook fireplace, or sinking into the chocolate-coloured armchairs in the Tack Room? 

Geri Horner and Christian Horner are frequently spotted here, thefoxatoddington.com

The Swan Inn, Swinbrook 

Right next to St Mary’s church, where many of the Mitford family are buried, sits The Swan Inn at Swinbrook. This down-to-earth rural pub on the River Windrush has likely heard a few tales, with former Prime Minister, now Lord David Cameron of Chipping Norton, a regular. Other politicians have also been known to thrash out the country’s future while dining on a classic pub dinner, theswanswinbrook.co.uk.

‘Poshest pub in Britain’: The Wild Rabbit, Kingham

The bar at The Wild Rabbit, described as a ‘modern interpretation of a traditional country inn’

When it opened in 2013, The Wild Rabbit, also from Lady Bamford, the undisputed Queen of Cotswolds cool, it was dubbed the ‘poshest pub in Britain’.

Who might you find tucking into the highly-rated menu? David and Victoria Beckham have been seen enjoying family meals here, while Kate Moss is also a fan. 

In November, Pete Tong will host a Day of the Dead DJ set, thewildrabbit.co.uk.

The royal family has a long-standing love affair with the Cotswolds, with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, right with Harry at Trooping the Colour in 2015, regularly spotted lunching in pubs there 

An F1 favourite: The Killingworth Castle, Wootton 

When Sir Winston Churchill stayed at Blenheim Palace in the 1930s, he would occasionally slip away for a spot of lunch at The Killingworth Castle. 

Opened in 1637 by Thomas Killingworth, this centuries-old public house is still enjoying the attentions of the rich and famous, and particularly those with a passion for speed – F1 stars Jenson Button and George Russell, and Geri and Christian Horner have all been spotted enjoying a pint or two, thekillingworthcastle.com.

Million dollar question: The Falkland Arms, Great Tew  

If Beyoncé and Jay-Z do seal the deal on those 58 acres, The Falkland Arms in Great Tew is likely to be the region’s newest A-list residents’ local boozer.

The pub has pedigree when it comes to famous people supping there; indeed millionaire television producer John Lloyd came up with the idea of long-running quiz show QI while at the bar. 

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have all been spied dining here, as have Benedict Cumberbatch and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, falklandarms.co.uk

Cousins’ catch-up? The Bull, Charlbury  

In good company: Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are fans of the The Bull in Charlbury

Former The Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith is a fan of this 16th-century foodie pub with rooms on Sheep Street in Charlbury. 

She told the Daily Mail in 2024: ‘We’re spoiled for great pubs in the Cotswolds and my current favourite is The Bull. ‘It still looks like a proper pub, not some decorator’s fantasy, and the food is just great – unpretentious, hearty and cooked with imagination and talent.’

Indeed, the grub is now so sophisticated, The Bull ranked 11th on the Estrella Damm’s Gastropub list this year. 

What might Prince Harry drink if he pops in? A pint of Steady Rolling Man pale ale, from DEYA Brewery, is a local favourite. 

Those who’ve also been spotted popping in for a Sunday roast include Robbie Williams, Ellen DeGeneres, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice and Jeremy Clarkson, thebullcharlbury.com

Lunch with Camilla: The Bell at Charlbury  

Just one letter separates this pub from its also popular peer The Bull in the gorgeous market town of Charlbury. 

This 17th-century coaching inn is also part of the Daylesford empire and attracts a similar clientele to The Wild Rabbit and The Fox – well-heeled, basically. 

Who might you share the bar with? Queen Camilla has been known to lunch here, thebellatcharlbury.com. 

Regal patrons: The Woolpack Inn, Slad  

Overlooking the Gloucestershire valley that was made famous by Laurie Lee in Cider With Rosie, the Woolpack Inn is an unpretentious Cotswolds pub that knows how to host a sing-a-long – with the pub piano often the focal point. 

You Magazine’s Food Critic Tom Parker-Bowles, Queen Camilla’s son, is a regular thanks to this cosy boozer’s ‘really excellent food’. 

Lily Allen’s dad Keith Allen used to work behind the bar too, thewoolpackinn-slad.com.