Native Americans are concerned that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are irrigating their gardens with water they consider as sacred.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s mansion in California is built on land that once belonged to the Chumash tribe. The area is home to several hot and cold springs, as well as a series of underground rivers, from which local residents divert water.
Tribe leader Eleanor Fishburn says that Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39 – who stepped down as senior royals last year – should not be using it to irrigate their gardens.
According to The Sun newspaper, she said: “For us, this water is a pure water, a holy water and a ceremonial water.
“As a native population, it is sacred for us and the idea that people in the area are using water from springs to water their garden is something that doesn’t sit well with us.”
Eleanor, the leader of the tribe’s Barbanero-Ventrua branch, has invited the couple – who have son Archie, two, and three-week-old daughter Lilibet – to meet them and discuss alternative options.
She said: “It would be great if they came so we could explain our history and culture and let them know about how sacred the water is to us.
“It would be good to explain to them that if they are using the water to irrigate their garden, they have an alternative choice.”
Human remains, thought to be from a member of the tribe, were discovered near Harry and Meghan’s home earlier this month.
The exact address where they were found hasn’t been made public, but the area is believed to be less than 400 yards from the Montecito mansion where the family live.