PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have cosied up to a Republican-supporting billionaire who is working with Donald Trump to re-start the US economy.
The Sussexes, who have both been critical of the US President in the past, recently had a meeting with developer Rick Caruso while living in a £15m Beverly Hills mansion.
Caruso, 61, has been described as a moderate Republican and was named on a White House list of execs in April to help fire-up economic growth following the coronavirus crisis.
Evidently his association with Trump did not put off Meghan – who avoided the US President on his last trip to Britain – or Harry, who has criticised his stance on climate change.
Caruso told Vanity Fair magazine: “I had an opportunity to meet them about a month and a half ago and spend some time with them.
“I was just very impressed by both of them. They’re surprisingly down-to-earth. We talked about their charity work and the work that my company does.
“We just shared a lot of things that we’d like to do to make people’s lives better. We’re very lucky to have them.”
Well-connected mogul Caruso, who is friends with stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, was a lawyer in a real-estate firm until he quit to develop properties full time.
Caruso – whose dad founded the Dollar car-rental agency – now owns The Grove shopping centre in Los Angeles and is worth an estimated £2.7billion.
He backed Republican John Kasich in the 2016 US election and joked afterwards that Trump would not be welcome at The Grove.
But his retail career hasn’t been without controversy and his not-so-green credentials might not go down well with his new royal neighbours.
JET-SETTING ECO WARRIORS
In 2016, he had to walk away from plans for a retail development on a lagoon, after spending millions in an attempt to bypass environmental planning laws.
Meanwhile, eco-campaigners Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, have jetted around the world lecturing others on climate change.
The couple – who sensationally quit the Royals – reportedly now intend to hire their own private security team after the string of unnerving incidents at their mansion in Beverley Hills.
Sources have claimed the Harry and Meghan have seen drones flying as low as 20 feet over the property, reports The Daily Beast.
Harry and Meghan are also allegedly being tailed by photographers in cars since they shipped out to LA.
A source said: “The reality is people are following and tailing them every day.
“They are trying not to let the aggressiveness get to them. Protecting their family is their top concern.”
The couple are also reportedly unhappy about ongoing speculation about their security costs.
The issue blew up when Donald Trump pledged to not support them with US taxpayer cash.
It is reported they are currently using security staff who came with the house which is owned by their pal and filmmaker Tyler Perry.
The latest security fears come after Harry and Meghan erected screens around the mansion after realizing that hikers could see inside.
Pictures showed workmen erecting the barriers outside the home.
The lavish property is next to a popular hiking trail, which was reopened to the public on Saturday, May 9, following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
It is has a steep hill which previously allowed hikers to see directly onto the property where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are living with one-year-old son Archie.
The eight-bedroom, 12-bathroom Tuscan-style villa sits on 22 acres on the top of a hill in the ultra-exclusive Beverly Ridge Estates gated community.
It is believed that the mansion is only a temporary fix as the couple search for a new permanent residence.
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