Prince Harry Is a U.S. Resident Now, but Is He a Citizen?

It may seem strange for a member of the British Royal Family to be a citizen of another country, but following his pretty public breakup with the official duties required by the royals, many are wondering whether Prince Harry may become a U.S. citizen. Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have been living in the U.S. for several years now, and while he's certainly not about to get the boot, it's definitely a question worth asking.

As one of the most famous people on the planet, everything that Harry does is tracked closely. Here's what we know about whether he's a U.S. citizen, or whether he has any plans to become one.

Harry is not a U.S. citizen, but in April of 2024, he did confirm that he was a U.S. resident. In paperwork filed by Companies Home, he confirmed that he usually lived in California. The update was done for Travalyst Limited, a nonprofit sustainable travel initiative that Harry runs.

While this is ultimately a formality, it underscored just how strained Harry's relationship with his home nation has become.

For the moment, then, those in the U.S. who love Harry will have to be content with having him as a U.S. resident instead of a full-blown citizen. In an interview with Good Morning America from February of 2024, Harry said that he had given the citizenship question some thought.

“It’s a thought that has crossed my mind but it’s not a high priority for me right now," he explained.

At the moment, it's actually unclear what kind of U.S. visa or residency permit Harry is staying in the country under. He could be entitled to a green card through his marriage to Meghan Markle, or to a special diplomatic visa that members of a reigning royal family are eligible to receive.

These lawsuits allege that Harry's application could have been rejected because of his history of drug use. In his 2023 memoir, Harry admitted to past use of drugs, which led some on the right to wonder whether Harry had lied on his visa application.

The Department of Homeland Security has thus far declined to make those documents publicly available.

One reason that Harry is not already a U.S. citizen is that, even though he has broken from his family in significant ways, the decision to become a U.S. citizen would suggest a permanent fissure — not just with his family, but with the U.K. more generally. In spite of all he's been through, that may be a step he's hesitant to make.

Of course, Harry seems likely to live the rest of his life in the U.S., and if that's the case, it might make sense for practical reasons to become a citizen. Whatever course he takes, though, it seems unlikely that he'll ever become the royal figure many believed he might once be.