Would Prince Harry Have to Give Up His Royal Titles to Become a U.S. Citizen? (Yes, But It's Complicated)

Mar. 15, 2025

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Prince Harry’s revelation that he has"considered" becoming a United States citizenhas prompted speculation on what that would mean for his royal titles.

He clarified, “The American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but certainly not something that is a high priority for me right now.”

Although Prince Harry said life in the U.S. was “amazing,” he stopped short of feeling American.

“Do I feel American? Um, no. I don’t know how I feel,” the Duke of Sussex responded to Reeve’s question.

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Should Prince Harry move forward with the process of becoming a U.S. citizen, he may have to give up his royal titles, according to thepolicy manualof the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services.

The policy states, “Any applicant who has any titles of heredity or positions of nobility in any foreign state must renounce the title or the position. The applicant must expressly renounce the title in a public ceremony and USCIS must record the renunciation as part of the proceedings. Failure to renounce the title of position shows a lack of attachment to the Constitution.”

When taking the Oath of Allegiance, those with titles must state, “I further renounce the title of (give title or titles) which I have heretofore held” or “I further renounce the order of nobility (give the order of nobility) to which I have heretofore belonged.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend Trooping the Colour 2018.Mike Marsland/WireImage

However, Alphonse Provinziano of U.S. law firm Provinziano & Associates toldNewsweekthat the current law could be challenged.

Provinziano also noted that natural-born U.S. citizens can receive a title from a foreign government. This was the case when Meghan became the Duchess of Sussex upon her marriage to Prince Harry. The couple’s 2-year-old daughter,Princess Lilibet, was also born in California without a royal title but became a princess when her grandfatherKing Charlesacceded to the throne. Meanwhile, their 4-year-old son,Prince Archie, was born in the U.K. but also didn’t become a prince until after the family had relocated to the U.S.

Would that mean Meghan, 42, and their children would also have to give up their titles?

While the children were previously listed on the royal family’s official website as “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” and “Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor,” they are now styled as “Prince Archie of Sussex” and “Princess Lilibet of Sussex.” Meghan and Prince Harry have sinceadopted their titles as the last name for their two children.

“There is no Supreme Court case that interprets that code section merely because there’s only been about a dozen American citizens who have had a prince or princess title,” Provinziano explained to Newsweek. “It’s something that theoretically could go all the way to the Supreme Court because the court would have to review the law to make sure it’s constitutional.”

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After Meghan and Prince Harry announced their engagement in November 2017,PEOPLEconfirmed that she planned to become a citizen of the U.K. after their royal wedding. Although she didn’t complete the rigorous process, the Duchess of Sussextalked about the difficulty of the U.K.’s citizenship examon anepisodeof herArchetypespodcast.

Meghan said, “That citizenship exam is so hard! 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.’ "

source: people.com