Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were mocked by two YouTubers who traveled to their town with placards to recreate South Park's "Worldwide Privacy Tour" protest.
Andy Signore and "Stef The Alter Nerd" traveled to Montecito, where Harry and Meghan have their $14.7 million mansion, but did not go to the house itself.
They waved placards and chanted "we want privacy"—in reference to a South Park episode that mocked the couple—before disagreeing about whether Meghan was a "lizard person."
The move triggered a backlash online and was condemned as "targeted harassment" by Christopher Bouzy, who was an interviewee on the Sussexes' Netflix show Harry & Meghan, and warned of the danger of transferring negative online commentary to the real world.
In the episode of their Popcorned Planet YouTube channel, Signore said: "No one seems to care, like the real Harry and Meghan. I can't believe people were so afraid that I was going to do this.
"No one cares it sounds so stupid and so silly God people are crazy it's funny, it's funny. I'm not at their house I'm on a public street I'm allowed to do this. I don't know why I'm doing this I guess for all for you for the audience so you can all laugh and see me as a fool.
"Yeah, she's a human being, like a reptile. A reptile disguised as a human being, you know those like conspiracy theorists that are like the Illuminati.
"You think she's a lizard person? Narcissist maybe, lizard person I can't go that far. I can't go that far but there we go we toured Montecito. We didn't harass anybody and we didn't get in trouble. We didn't do anything illegal."
The video shows the pair visiting a variety of places where Harry and Meghan have been seen, including a branch of In-N-Out Burger and Italian restaurant Tre Lune.
So didn’t this lying Walrus say he wasn’t gonna do this? And then dragged that paparazzi guy for trying to do the exact same thing. This is dangerous and will DEFINITELY inspire more like this. This needs to be reported. They literally went to all their spots. pic.twitter.com/LNSAGVXiRb
— Dre. (@Aboutdre3) November 6, 2023
The YouTubers had originally suggested hiring a tour bus and offering tickets to their fans to join them in staging the protest but abandoned the idea following criticism.
Bouzy, who investigated targeted online harassment of Harry and Meghan with his company Bot Sentinel, told Newsweek: "The growing trend of YouTube content creators engaging in the targeted harassment of Harry and Meghan and other high-profile individuals represents a significant issue that warrants urgent attention.
"The transfer of online harassment to the real world highlights the need for a robust approach to combating cyberstalking and online abuse.
"YouTube must take decisive action to address and mitigate the potential for these behaviors to cause actual harm. Without appropriate measures, there is a genuine risk of these actions resulting in serious injury."
And one Twitter user wrote: "This is dangerous and will DEFINITELY inspire more like this. This needs to be reported. They literally went to all their spots."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
