Can Prince Harry Become a U.S. Citizen Now? It’s Complicated
Now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have officially settled down on North American soil following their royal exit, it only makes sense that Prince Harry’s U.S. citizenship and diplomatic status are becoming an area of concern. Meghan Markle, 38, is already an American citizen—yet the same cannot be said of Harry, 35, who has a long road ahead of him if he and his wife, originally from Los Angeles, Calif., plan to stay in the States instead of Canada for good.
Shortly after the royal couple wrapped up their final duties as senior members of the royal family in the U.K., they closed up shop on their now-defunct Sussex Royal Instagram and bid farewell to their Vancouver Island fortress in Canada. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (who, despite no longer being referred to as HRH’s, will still retain the former title), have reportedly relocated to L.A., for Meghan’s post-royal job and are looking for homes in Malibu to raise their 10-month-old son, Archie. But if the couple expects to live in the area long-term, then Harry will have to follow a long series of requirements to remain in the U.S. legally (and as if that weren’t complicated enough, we already know the couple aren’t, uh, on the best of terms with America’s president).
According to a new report by The Telegraph, if Harry plans to stay in the U.S., he will need some kind of visa. An immigration law researcher at New York’s Cardozo Law School, Matteo Carrera, explained to the paper that this will likely be an A1 visa—the kind set aside for “diplomats and government officials.”
It’s possible that Harry, being a prince an all, already has one of these. But the next step for him, like anyone else applying for citizenship, would be to qualify for a green card, a.k.a. permanent residency card. Once he’s held green card status for three years, he can apply for U.S. citizenship. Thankfully, Harry is already married to a U.S. citizen, which makes some of the qualification processes for naturalization a little easier. All he has to do on that front is prove his union is legitimate (not like the royal wedding was, uh, televised for the world to see), and the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) will be able to move forward with his application.
But given that baby Archie is still so young, and his grandmother—the Queen!—is so eager to see him around her, there’s no telling whether Meghan and Harry will stay Stateside forever. Only time will tell.
