Harry and Meghan 'even left their koi carp' as they dashed to quit US for UK

Harry and Meghan neglected to tell their children’s school that they were starting a new life in the UK and left the United States in such a hurry they even left their pet fish behind, one of the couple's former neighbours has claimed.

The pair appeared in such a rush to flee their nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom Montecito mansion that the koi carp Harry even mentioned in his memoir Spare couldn't go with them.

According to a fellow Californian resident, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex packed their bags and “disappeared overnight” from their £11million home to return to Britain last month following a positive summer visit.

Seven-year-old Archie and five-year-old Lilibet are understood to have started school in the Cotswolds this week, but one of their former neighbours has slammed the couple, claiming they were not liked in the area and they barely gave teachers notice that the children won't be returning.

Interior designer Penny Bianchi claimed that Harry and Meghan, still waiting to hear whether they will be given taxpayer-funded security, kept the school in the dark over the return to the UK.

“The school hated their bodyguards," she said in an interview with The Sun . "They would drop the children off with them. To be honest, nobody really liked them here very much. They aren’t popular.”

She went on: “My grandchildren go to the same school as my son, so I get all my gossip from there. Archie goes to the school and they didn’t even know they were leaving until everyone else found out."

Ms Bianchi claimed the move had been spoken about for a long while but as soon as Archie was accepted in a UK school, "they practically left the next day".

Team Sussex sources said security reasons were behind the hush-hush exit, with bodyguards on the school run not unusual in California. Residents have told how they are "worried" they are for the koi carp, which “need to be looked after 24/7”.

Harry mentioned the pets in his 2023 book, writing: “The koi were stressed, the estate agent warned. So are we. We’ll get along famously. No, the agent explained, the koi need very particular care.”

With the mansion not sold or rented out, it is suggested caring for the carp will fall upon their £8,000 a month gardener.

It comes after claims that one of the reasons Harry brought his family back to these shores is that he intends to make a film to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother’s death next year.

Their return has already suffered a set-back. Uganda's decision to withdraw from Prince Harry's Invictus Games is a 'consequence' of the King's cutting letter on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal status, it has been claimed.

Buckingham Palace issued the 'guidance' on the monarch's behalf on Monday, declaring in no uncertain terms that the couple have not returned to the UK as working royals.