Prince Harry’s initial excitement about living in the United States is beginning to fade as he comes to terms with the fact that being a prince doesn’t carry much significance there.
After stepping down as a working royal in 2020, Harry, the Duke of Sussex, moved to the U.S. with his wife Meghan Markle. The couple now resides in their £12 million Montecito mansion with their two children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, two.
Royal expert Tom Quinn told The Mirror, “During his first six months in the States, Harry found everything new and exciting, but the glamour is definitely wearing off. However big your garden—and Harry and Meghan’s garden at Montecito is enormous—there’s only so much you can do when you have no practical skills and you have always paid people to cook, clean, and garden for you.”
Quinn also noted the potential threat to Harry’s stay in the U.S. posed by the lawsuit from The Heritage Foundation, which questions his truthfulness on his visa application. “The couple have taken legal advice because they’re seriously worried that if Donald Trump wins the next election, Harry’s visa may be revoked. Trump has insisted that if Harry is found to have lied on his visa application about his admitted drug taking, he could be asked to leave the country,” he added.
Harry initially thought his royal status would protect him from such issues. “Harry initially thought this couldn’t possibly happen to him as the normal rules don’t apply to a Royal Prince, but he increasingly realizes that in the United States, being a Prince doesn’t actually count for very much,” Quinn concluded.
The adjustment to life in the U.S. has presented unforeseen challenges for Harry, who is learning that his royal title holds little sway in a country where celebrity and status are measured differently. As he navigates these new realities, the Duke of Sussex is faced with the ongoing task of redefining his identity and role in a world far removed from the one he once knew.