Harry and Meghan to the Rescue

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have adopted one of former TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres’ ailing chicken, which was being bullied at her $25 million Montecito estate, just a five-minute drive from the Sussexes $14.5 million mansion in Riven Rock.

Ellen, 65, updated her 139 million Instagram followers on the progress of Sinkie, so named because she lived in old stone sink in her back yard.

The chicken suffered a broken fibula bone in the leg shortly before Christmas.

“Luckily friends Harry and Meghan have room for one more,” writes Ellen. “Not sure yet what her royal title will be!”

The Duke of Sussex, 39, a British army veteran, is being honored at this year’s 21st annual Living Legends of Aviation gala in Beverly Hills hosted by actor John Travolta, an accomplished pilot himself.

Harry did two tours of duty in Afghanistan as an air controller and Apache helicopter pilot. Past honorees have included Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

Wedding Bells?

Just four months after their acrimonious divorce, Carpinteria actor Kevin Costner’s ex-wife, Christine Baumgartner, has found love again.

She was seen in her Range Rover dropping off her new man at his sprawling Montecito estate, less than five minutes from her own house.

Baumgartner’s new beau is financier Josh Connor, 49, himself a divorced father of three, who became legally single on Jan. 3, 2023 – just five months before Baumgartner blindsided Costner, 68, by filing for divorce, according to London’s Daily Mail.

The twosome also traveled together at Christmas with her new banker beau flying her to Hawaii on a private jet, according to sources.

Stay tuned…

Rooms Available

Financier Philippe Laffont is selling his two-acre Montecito estate, which he acquired in 2021 for $11.7 million, for $16.5 million.

The 1924 Spanish Colonial style compound, with a stunning backdrop of the Santa Ynez Mountains, has two homes totaling six bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Laffont is founder of the hedge fund and private equity firm Coatue Management and worth $6 billion, according to Forbes.

A Luxury Some Can Afford

Montecito actor Rob Lowe appears to have found the foundation of youth!

Rob, 59, attributes his youthful look, in part, to getting a proper amount of sleep, according to USA Today.

During his podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe, the former Brat Pack star also credited his shut-eye schedule with being crucial to his fresh-faced appearance.

“I get tons of sleep,” says Rob. “I don’t want people to think something is wrong with me. It’s a lot of sleep, not 12 hours. But if there’s ever 12 (hours) to be had, I’m taking it.”

The host of the Fox show The Floor says he has it down to a science with an eye mask and Bose noise canceling headphones.

Paris, je t’aime

Former Montecito resident Natalie Portman is preparing to divorce from her longtime husband Benjamin Millepied despite trying to make it work after her estranged spouse was accused of cheating with a woman 21 years his junior, according to reports.

The Black Swan actress, 42, seemingly confirmed the end of the 11-year marriage to the choreographer, 46, during an interview with WSJ Magazine in which she failed to mention him, while disclosing she now lives in Paris with their two children, Aleph, 12, and daughter Amalia, 6.

It comes days after she attended the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles solo and was pictured once again without her wedding ring.

Home on the Range

A 14 bath, six-bedroom Montecito estate, El Descanso, designed by renowned architect Carleton Winslow near the Montecito Club, is for sale of $17.5 million.

The 1920s property, with Pacific and island views, sits on five acres.

Used Dress for Sale

A stunning couture dress made for Princess Diana by one of her favorite designers, Catherine Walker, is up for grabs for around $200,000.

The gown is part of a celebrity fashion sale at Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles.

Walker designed the black silk velvet dress for Diana, who wore it at a function in 1985.

It’s similar to the ‘revenge dress’ by Christina shambolian which Diana wore in 1994 after the BBC television interview with Martin Bashir in which she talked about her then husband Prince Charles’ adultery.

Diana wore 1,000 of Walker’s couture designs and was buried in a black dress she purchased from her shortly before her tragic death in the1997 Paris car crash.

Gleason in the Interim

Maryellen Gleason is the Pacific Pride Foundation’s interim executive director.

Gleason, an associate with Interim Executive Solutions, will be responsible for day-to-day operations and ensure programs and operations for LGBTQ+ community are sustainable.

Sightings

Meghan Markle and children, Archie and Lilibet, breakfasting at the Montecito Coffee Shop… Fashion designer Michael Kors at the Rosewood Miramar… Bo Derek and beau John Corbett at the premiere of Masters of the Air in L.A.

Having just arrived back in our rarefied enclave after a month of rustication at my cottage in Cornwall, England, a belated Happy New Year to all readers of Miscellany.

Pip! Pip!