When Prince Harry and wife duch*ess Meghan jetted off to the United States in 2020, it raised lots of questions about how dual citizenship works for members of the royal family. Are these aristocratic figureheads allowed to hold citizenship in another country? And would other countries accept their applications for citizenship even when they’re rulers of a different country?
These thoughts recently resurfaced when the Duke of Sussex sat down for an interview with Good Morning America, where he shared his opinions on becoming a U.S. citizen. “American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but certainly not something that’s a high priority for me right now,” he told GMA’s Will Reeve. “Do I feel American? No. I don’t know how I feel.”
However, despite not necessarily “feeling” American, the royal still remarked that living in California with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two kids, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, is “amazing.” He added, “I love every single day.”
So, what would the process be like if Prince Harry did decide to become a U.S. citizen? Here’s everything we know.
Can royal family members become citizens of other countries?
Well, yes and no. According to American law firm Norris McLaughlin, Prince Harry could become a citizen of the United States—but he would have to renounce any title or order of nobility he held before that, per the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. This means he could become a dual citizen of both the U.S. and U.K., but would likely lose his title as Duke of Sussex. The firm also notes that if Harry became a U.S. citizen, he would likely have to pay worldwide taxes.
However, that is from the American side of things. Rhere is no official law in the U.K. that prevents Harry from becoming a citizen of another country. If Harry does not decide to become a U.S. citizen, he is considered a permanent resident here instead, meaning he could keep his title.
What about people who marry into the royal family?
You may be wondering about duch*ess Meghan, an American citizen who married Prince Harry. Did she get automatic U.K. citizenship when she married into the family?
The answer is no, and the duch*ess actually talked about the British citizenship process on her Archetypes podcast. “That citizenship exam is so hard!” the Suits star remarked in the 2022 episode. “I was studying for it, and I remember going, ‘Oh my goodness.’ I would ask my husband, ‘Did you know this? Did you know this?’ And people went, ‘Oh, I had no idea.’ ”
Despite the fact that she took and passed the test, Meghan is still not a U.K. citizen because she did not live in the country long enough to obtain citizenship. (The required period is three years.) She ultimately abandoned plans for citizenship when she and Harry moved their family to the U.S. in 2020.
Still, this proves that, despite being an American citizen, Meghan would have been eligible to be a British citizen as well. Furthermore, even if Harry decided to become a U.S. citizen, Meghan might be able to keep her titles, because U.S. law does not prohibit Americans from accepting (and keeping) titles from other countries. If Harry were forced to renounce his dukedom, however, Meghan’s title would likely go with it.
What about royals born with dual citizenship?
Now you’re probably curious about Meghan and Harry’s two children, who do possess both U.K. and U.S. citizenship. When Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet were born, they automatically became dual citizens, since both of their parents were citizens of their respective countries at the time of their birth.
Down the line, though, some of these things may change. The National Constitution Center notes that other royals, like Prince Albert of Monaco and Queen Noor of Jordan, renounced their American citizenship when they turned 18, so as to avoid a conflict of interest with their royal status. Because Archie and Lilibet both reside in the U.S. (and their parents are not senior royals), it’s unclear what the future holds for them.
If Archie or Lilibet have any future children in the U.S., though, these descendants would have to apply for U.K. citizenship. The U.K. government site notes, “British citizenship is normally automatically passed down one generation to children born outside the U.K.”
Do royal family members require passports?
As noted on the official royal family website, all members require passports to travel overseas, except for the monarch of the United Kingdom.
An update from the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign reads: “When travelling overseas, The Queen does not require a British passport. As a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, it is unnecessary for The Queen to possess one. All other members of the Royal Family, including The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, have passports.”
The same rule would apply to King Charles, who took over as monarch when his mother passed away in September 2022.
Joel Calfee
Editorial and Social Media Assistant
Joel is the editorial and social media assistant for HarpersBAZAAR.com, where he covers all things celebrity news. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him singing off-key at concerts, scavenging thrift stores for loud wardrobe staples, or perusing bookstores for the next great gay romance novel.
