Since he split from the monarchy with Meghan Markle back in 2020, Britain’s Prince Harry has made the U.S. his home.
Though at first the duke and duchess expressed a wish to divide their time between North America and Britain, for the past four years they have lived near exclusively at their mansion in Montecito, California, with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The terms of Harry’s residency in the States are not publicly known, despite a longstanding legal battle waged by conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation, for the Department of Homeland Security to unseal the prince’s visa paperwork.
The foundation has raised concerns that Harry didn’t disclose his past drugs use on his documentation—something that could disqualify him from holding certain types of visas.
Harry has spoken warmly about life in America and the benefits of raising his children away from the microscopic glare of the European tabloid press. In 2024, the prince revealed for the first time officially that he may even consider becoming a fully fledged citizen, something which could ultimately raise complications back in Britain.
Here, Newsweek looks at everything Harry said about becoming a U.S. citizen and the potential consequences this could bring the royal prince.
What Prince Harry Said About Becoming a U.S. Citizen
Prince Harry first openly discussed a potential change to his citizenship status during an interview with Good Morning America in February 2024.
The prince was interviewed by anchor Will Reeve as part of Harry and Meghan’s visit to Vancouver and Whistler in Canada, marking the one-year waypoint to the 2025 Invictus Games that will be held in the area.
Asked about life in the U.S., the prince told Reeve that is was “amazing.” “I love every single day,” he said.
Though he said he didn’t feel American, when asked if he’d considered becoming a citizen he responded: “I have considered it, yeah.”
Despite this, he continued to add that it wasn’t at the forefront of his mind and that his focus was on the Invictus Games and its community.
“American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but isn’t something that’s a high priority for me right now,” he said.
Potential Complications
If Harry were to seriously make moves to become a citizen, it could raise some awkward complications back in Britain.
Chiefly, to become a citizen applicants must swear an oath of allegiance to the U.S., part of which denounces ties to foreign powers, states and sovereigns.
Guidance published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reveals that the oath includes the words: “I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen.”
As a British citizen, this would mean Harry would have to renounce allegiance to his own father, King Charles III. As king of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a number of Commonwealth Realms, Charles is a foreign prince, a head of state and sovereign.
Harry becoming a U.S. citizen could also have an impact on his royal titles. Information supplied by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services states that “any applicant who has any titles of heredity or positions of nobility in any foreign state must renounce the title or the position.”
Harry is not only holds the royal title of “Prince of the United Kingdom” but he also bares the hereditary noble titles of “Duke of Sussex,” “Earl of Dumbarton” and “Baron Kilkeel.”
As a holder of these, the prince would have to add an addendum to the aforementioned oath, stating: “I further renounce the title of ‘X’ which I have heretofore held.”
There are some workarounds if Harry were to wish to keep his titles. This could include being made an honorary American, but this would not afford him all of the rights and privileges of a full citizen.
