An exile that has become official. For the first time since stepping down from the royal family in 2020, Prince Harry has listed the United States as his primary residence. The Duke of Sussex recently updated documents registered with Companies House (the British equivalent of the French Trade and Companies Register), declaring that his “new ordinarily resident country/state” is now the United States. , according to information from the
Daily Mail
, this Wednesday April 17. This administrative change would have occurred on June 29, 2023, more than three years after his famous “Megxit”.
Despite this legal change, Prince Harry explained in December 2023 that he still considered the United Kingdom his "home" but felt "obligated" to reside in the United States for security reasons. “The United Kingdom is at the heart of my children's heritage and it is a place where I want them to feel at home as much as where they currently live in the United States,” explained the Duke in a written statement read in a London court, as reported by
Page Six
. “This cannot happen if it is not possible to ensure their safety while they are on British soil.”
American citizen?
Prince Harry has lived in Montecito, California for four years now. In an interview with “Good Morning America” on February 16, Prince Harry declared that he was even considering applying for American citizenship. “The idea of applying for American citizenship has crossed my mind, but it's certainly not a high priority for me at the moment,” he told journalist Will Reeve. Meghan Markle's husband said he found his life in the United States “great”. Asked about feeling American, the Duke of Sussex, however, put the kibosh on it. “If I feel American? he replied. Uh no. I do not know how I feel."
If, however, the Duke of Sussex decided to begin the process of becoming an American citizen, he could be forced to renounce his titles of nobility,
People
magazine reported on Wednesday February 21. “Any applicant who possesses titles of nobility or other noble status in a foreign state must renounce such titles or status,” reads the procedures manual of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. (USCIS).
Renouncing (or not renouncing) titles
However, according to lawyer Alphonse Provinziano cited by
Newsweek
, this rule could nevertheless be contested. “It’s a law established by Congress,” he continued. But all the Constitution says is that Congress cannot confer foreign titles. It says nothing about being a foreign citizen or having a title of nobility when you become a U.S. citizen.” The specialist considered that it was possible to challenge this rule “under the 14th Amendment (
a clause affirming the need to guarantee the equal protection of all those who are on the territory of the United States, Editor’s note
)”.
If Prince Harry were to apply for American nationality, according to him, it would be a matter of highlighting this clause, while emphasizing that the country would treat him “differently from others” by forcing him to renounce his titles of nobility. Alphonse Provinziano further clarified that American citizens could already receive a title of nobility from a foreign government, as was the case for Meghan Markle, American citizen who became Duchess of Sussex. His children Archie and Lilibet became prince and princess once residents of the United States.