Prince Harry poked fun at drama within the royal family during a Christmas party speech.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, compared Britain’s aristocracy to the soapy period drama Downton Abbey in tongue-in-cheek fashion during an appearance at the British-American Business Council’s annual Christmas luncheon in Santa Monica, California, on Friday, December 5, according to People.
“People sometimes ask if growing up with the royal family was a bit like [show creator Julian Fellowes’] Downton Abbey,” he began. “Yeah, but only one of those worlds is filled with drama, intrigue, elaborate dinners [and] marriages to Americans — and the other is a TV show.”
The prince was humorously referencing his 2018 marriage to American actress Meghan Markle. The couple share two children: Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4.
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He has also had his share of family drama, though he reportedly made peace with his father, King Charles III, during a U.K. visit in September. Us Weekly reported at the time that there was still “ongoing tension” between Harry and his brother, Prince William, due to the former’s “public disclosures, memoir revelations and interviews and criticisms of [William and wife Kate Middleton’s] roles.”
In his Christmas party speech, Harry offered another zinger about President Donald Trump’s immigration policy while discussing the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. is cohosting with Canada and Mexico. The royal quipped that he was excited to meet some of the athletes from “across the pond” when they arrived stateside, provided they get “through customs” and “past ICE.”
Harry mentioned that his appearance for the British-American Business Council was his “first Christmas party” in “a while,” before speaking more seriously about what it has been like to move to the U.S. (Harry and Meghan, 44, moved their family from Frogmore Cottage in the U.K. to Canada in early 2020 after stepping down as working royals. They have since relocated to California.)
“For me, being British isn’t about where you physically stand, but what you stand for,” he added.
Speaking about celebrating the July 4 holiday, Harry joked: “It’s a new world to me, celebrating independence from Britain, and more specifically, independence from my great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather.”
Harry has had a very busy week, as he made a cameo appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in New York City on Wednesday, December 3. He crashed host Stephen Colbert’s monologue as the comedian made light of the trend of streaming royal-themed Christmas movies.
“Sorry, I genuinely thought this was the audition for The Gingerbread Prince Saves Christmas in Nebraska,” Harry teased as he walked on stage.
Colbert feigned surprise over Harry wanting to star in his own Christmas movie, though the comedian admitted that the title “sounds fantastic.”
“Well, you Americans are obsessed with Christmas movies and you’re obsessed with royalty, so why not?” Harry replied.
Later in the segment, Harry poked fun at President Trump when Colbert objected to his theory that America is “obsessed with royalty.”
“Really? I heard you elected a king,” Harry jokingly retorted, with Colbert conceding that the prince “has a point.”
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Aside from Harry’s media appearances, he and Meghan had a challenging few days. Meghan’s brother, Thomas Markle Jr., confirmed to the Daily Mail on Friday that their father, Thomas Markle, had his left leg amputated below the knee after falling in the Philippines.
“There was no option given. It was either, ‘We have to operate now and remove the leg, or he may die.’ It was a life-threatening situation,” Thomas Jr. explained.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex later confirmed to Us that she got in touch with her father, 81, following his surgery.
“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” her rep said on Friday.
