Prince Harry Breaks His Silence on Whether He Plans To Become a U.S. Citizen—5 Years After Moving to California

Prince Harry has opened up about his plans for his future life in the U.S.—finally revealing whether he plans to become an official citizen, five years after he and wife Meghan Markle relocated to California from the U.K.

Harry, 41—whose visa status has long been the subject of much public and political scrutiny—was asked point-blank by Hasan Minhaj whether he is planning to apply for U.S. citizenship during an appearance on the comedian's podcast, "Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know."

"Are you going to become a U.S. citizen?" Minjah questioned during a rapid-fire Q&A.

"Am I going to become a U.S. citizen?" Harry repeated, before revealing: "There are no plans to be, at this point."

His confirmation that he has not yet applied for citizenship, nor plans to at any point, comes more than five years after Harry made the U.S. his full-time home, having sensationally quit his role as a senior working member of the British royal family.

At the time, Harry and Meghan, 44, had just welcomed their first-born child, Archie, now 6, and they have since welcomed a daughter, Lilibet, 4, who was born in the U.S. and is therefore a naturalized citizen.

Although the Sussexes have not revealed whether Archie has a U.S. passport, he is considered a dual citizen because his mother, Meghan, is American.

Harry has previously been questioned about his potential plans for citizenship, revealing in 2024 that while he had "considered" applying, he didn't consider the process a "high priority."

"It's amazing. I love every single day," he said when asked about how he was enjoying life in the U.S.— during an appearance on "Good Morning America," although he hesitated to commit when questioned about whether he feels like an American.

"Do I feel American? Um, no. I don't know how I feel," he admitted, before adding: "American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but certainly not something that is a high priority for me right now."

Still, Harry appears to be relishing life in the U.S., where he and Meghan are raising both of their children in the tony Santa Barbara enclave of Montecito, having purchased a sprawling $14.65 million mansion in the area back in 2020.

"We were looking in this area and this house kept popping up online in searches," Meghan told The Cut, of their house-hunting process during a 2022 interview.

Interestingly, Meghan admitted that she and Harry were initially concerned that they wouldn't be able to afford the home, noting that—at the time—they were both unemployed.

"We didn’t have jobs, so we were just not going to come and see this house. It wasn’t possible," she said. "It’s like when I was younger and you’re window shopping—it’s like, 'I don’t want to go and look at all the things that I can’t afford—that doesn’t feel good.'"

However, her fascination with the nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom estate won out and they went to view the home in person—with Meghan revealing that they fell in love with it before even setting foot inside.

"One of the first things my husband saw when we walked around the house was those two palm trees," she recalled. "We did everything we could to get this house."

Since then, the couple has worked hard to turn the dwelling into what Meghan previously described as a "safe haven" for their two children.

Discussing her decision to film her Netflix series, "With Love, Meghan," in a rented property, rather than using her own home as the set, the mother of two explained that she was trying to protect the sanctuary that she and Harry had created within their private residence.

"I wanted to protect that safe haven," she told People. "We're a close-knit family, and I love those moments—putting Lili down for a nap, having lunch together, having sacred time together at the end of the day.

"Our kitchen is where Mama just cooks for the family, and with a crew of 80-plus people, that's a lot of people to have in your house!"

The couple has been careful to safeguard their kids from public scrutiny since leaving the U.K. and try to avoid sharing images or video of their faces, even when posting them on Meghan's social media account.

The mother of two shed further light on the family's at-home routine earlier this month during an intimate conversation with former sorority sister Courtney Adamo.

Meghan and Courtney—who met during their freshman year at Northwestern University—sat down together at an event entitled "Compare Notes on Creating a Home That’s Filled With Joy," which was held at the Godmothers bookstore in Summerland, CA, on Oct. 23.

During the event, which was organized to celebrate the release of Courtney's book, "The Family Home: Inspiring Ideas for a Home Filled With Joy," Meghan opened up about the rituals that she and Harry have implemented in their home, starting with filling the property with music first thing in the morning.

"The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is turn the music on in the house," she noted.

Meghan revealed that the family also shares a daily "rose and thorn," detailing one positive and one negative experience from throughout their day, admitting that her daughter, Lilibet, is particularly fond of this routine.

"Our daughter she's 4, and she's a very strong personality and she's incredible," Meghan shared. "And now she's in this moment where I say, 'What's your rose and your thorn?' And she goes, 'My day was just a blast.'"

When the children aren't feeling their best, however, the Sussexes have a specific home item on hand to cheer them up: a "healing blanket" that was gifted to the family by Godmothers bookstore founder Victoria Jackson.

As for welcoming guests into her home, Meghan has several hosting traditions that she picked up in a bid to make people feel as comfortable as possible—noting that she regularly goes barefoot inside her house, even when she has people over.

"It demystifies," she said, adding that she will also usually open the door with an apron on. "People walk in and go, ‘Oh, she’s in this with me.’ And what are they drawn to? Your kitchen. They come right in, and suddenly everyone’s a little bit softened."

Rather than offering to brew guests a cup of tea or coffee, Meghan noted that she usually has a hot cider or a hot toddy warming on the stove, which she invites people to serve themselves.

"I love people being able to serve themselves, and having things on the stove that everyone can help themselves to," she explained.

The final feature of Meghan's at-home hosting lineup is, of course, music, which she says she "always has on in the background."

All of these rituals have made the family so comfortable at home that the As Ever founder admitted she rarely leaves the house without taking a small piece of it with her.

"I always travel with a candle," she explained. "I am so conscious and sensitive to fragrance, and I associate that with home."