Meghan MarkleandPrince Harryare hitting the town.
The Italian restaurant is a celebrity hotspot, attracting famous faces such as Kevin Costner, Kenny Loggins and Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker (who may have crossed paths with Meghan and Harry during the night out — the drummer posted a photo on his Instagram story from inside the restaurant on Wednesday).
“From what I gathered, they enjoyed their food and had a nice time,” a source tells PEOPLE.
The outing may have served as an early birthday outing for Meghan, whoturns 42on Friday. Meghan has traditionally celebrated her birthday privately with family.
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The couple moved from the U.K. to California in 2020 after stepping back from their royal roles, and a family insidertells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover storythat for Prince Harry, it’s a “very different” life but one he “seems to be embracing.”
But when the couple leaves the house together, “they have a lot of security,” according to a source. Some locals wish the couple would more fully engage with the community in Montecito, where Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Katy Perry and Jeff Bridges call home. “Quite a lot of people are very protective of them," saysMontecito Journalcolumnist and local resident Richard Mineards, while others are “grumbling” about a noticeable uptick in paparazzi.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in June 2022.Kirsty O’Connor/AP/Shutterstock
Most of the time, Prince Harry and Meghan keep to themselves. They work out of a shared office inside their sprawling $14.65 million estate in Montecito, which boasts chicken coops, a playground for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet and a vegetable garden.
A friend tells PEOPLE, “They’re not into a big scene. They prefer smaller group hangouts at home, karaoke, that sort of thing.”
A local store owner adds that Harry and Meghan “don’t go out much” but probably “have friends out of the public eye,” adding that Montecito is “a quiet and small town.”
Together, the couple are “playful and flirty,” the friend adds.
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A family insider tells PEOPLE that Prince Harry and Meghan have found a “dynamic that works for them.”
“Meghan does seem to run the household and make the decisions, but it’s not that he bends for her. It’s just a dynamic that works for them, and maybe one that he needs after everything he’s been through,” the insider says.
“Has their final chapter been written? Absolutely not,” an industry executive tells PEOPLE. “Hollywood loves a comeback.”
source: people.com
