By Jill Ishkanian For Dailymail.com
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Prince Harry has been lampooned by his own local paper in his adopted hometown of Montecito where an unflattering caricature of the royal appears in its latest issue.
The Duke of Sussex made the cover of the Montecito Journal’s ‘end of year review’ where he and other famous residents of the California seaside town can be seen as cartoon versions of themselves.
The artwork, illustrated by Karen Folsom, depicts the 38-year-old redhead in full polo gear, holding his helmet, and riding a children’s toy stick horse.
Prince Harry made the cover of the Montecito Journal’s ‘end of year’ issue where he appears as a caricature that seems to allude to his defeat at a 2022 semi final polo match in Santa Barbara
The artwork, illustrated by Karen Folsom, depicts the 38-year-old redhead in full polo gear, holding his helmet, and riding a children’s toy stick horse
Harry was reported to have joined the Los Padres polo team in May under the name Harry Wales, and was seen falling off his horse during one match in June
The caricature seems to allude to Harry’s embarrassing gaffe during a June polo match at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club where he fell off his horse in front of a crowd of celebrity guests.
He later competed in the semi-final three days later when his team, Los Padres, failed to secure their spot in the league’s final.
His wife Meghan Markle, who was seen supporting him at the game at the time, was notably excluded from the cover, however.
While the prince is one four notable residents pictured, the cover appears quite reverential of the other three subjects, who are featured as beloved figures who passed away in 2022.
To add insult to injury, there is, oddly, no mention of Harry inside the 39-page newspaper.
Meanwhile, the cover pays tribute to Hollywood film director Ivan Reitman, who died at 75 in February, whose picture appears over a mountain range alongside a Ghostbusters image referring to his hit 1984 film.
In a June 18 match that resulted in a season-ending loss, wife Meghan Markle was seen supporting the prince from the sidelines, but she was not included on the cover of the newspaper with her husband
Harry’s team, which competes in the Pacific Coast Circuit Inter-Circuit Cup, was founded by Nacho Figueras, 45, an Argentine polo professional and model, and longtime friend of the prince
Flame-haired Montecito philanthropist Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree who passed away in in October at 98, is pictured alongside Reitman wearing a large jewel heart and smiling.
The cover art also pays tribute to local business owner and winemaker Pierre LaFond who died in April at the age of 92.
Pierre, who lived by the mantra ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is seen holding an apron full of apples.
The other images portray new construction and hiking trails coming to the area, Roe v Wade court case, the removal of pandemic area ‘parklets’ for restaurants, and the sale of local ice cream shop The Scoop.
One resident told DailyMail.com that the cover art seems to be a subtle dig at the British prince.
‘It seems like definite shade on Harry,’ the local said.
‘I mean, he does really play polo and in fact brought a lot of international attention to our area last year. He even did an event which helped local Santa Barbara charities.’
Harry joined the Los Padres team, headed by his Professional Polo player pal Nacho Figueras, 45.
Harry and Meghan are among Montecito’s famous residents and it is likely he was included on the cover to help promote free copies of the paper
Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito in June of 2020 after purchasing a nine-bedroom, 16-bath, 18,000 square foot home for $14.7million
The team played at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club in nearby Carpenteria, California.
The cover comes amid heightened media attention and criticism of Harry who is set to tell-all in new book Spare on January 10
The Montecito Journal has a purported circulation of 12,000 and its stands are in front of every business in the area.
It’s unlikely the Sussexes were able to avoid seeing the cover when they were out and about.
A mix of news, gossip, events, politics and sports, the Journal mainly focuses on things that affect the immediate community.
A spot on the cover is quite envied among locals, but in this case, maybe not so much.
Harry and Meghan moved to Montecito (population 8,210) in June of 2020 with their son Archie, three.
They bought a nine-bedroom, 16-bath, 18,000 square foot home for $14.7million and later welcomed their daughter Lilibet, one, who was born at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara.
Since Harry is not mentioned inside the issue of the Montecito Journal, it is likely a print version of ‘click bait’.
Many tourists visit Montecito hoping for a sighting of the Sussexes and including him on the cover would help promote the free copies.
It also comes amid heightened media attention and criticism of Harry who has ruffled feathers with his and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries released last month, and now, his highly-anticipated tell-all memoir, Spare, set to be released on January 10.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group