Prince Harry joked that life with the Royal Family was like Downton Abbey, only with more “drama” than the hit British show.
The Duke of Sussex, 41, made the quip during an appearance at a British American Business Council event in Los Angeles on Friday.
“People sometimes ask if growing up with the Royal Family was a bit like Downton Abbey.
“Yeah, but only one of those worlds is filled with drama, intrigue, elaborate dinners, marriages to Americans – and the other is a TV show,” he told the crowd.
At the event, Prince Harry also joked about his life in the US and President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Discussing the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the prince said British people would have to “behave, get through customs, and past ICE” to see England play.
He also spoke of the county’s July 4 festivities, jesting that US Independence was “more specifically, independence from my great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather”.
Harry’s appearance came just days after he divided people by mocking Donald Trump on Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show.
During the monologue, he touched on America’s “obsession” with royalty, and was met with boos when he said the country had “elected a king”.
The jokes have sparked some backlash for the prince, with some suggesting that he is ruining his chances of reconciling with the Royal Family.
“When hopes of reconciliation and improved relationships with your royal relatives are in clear view, why do you (Harry) have to do something to push it all away?
“Next time you want to get a few laughs from a crowd, maybe keep your royal relatives and political comments out of it. Because you may have just ended hopes of a successful royal reconciliation… again,” royal expert Jasmine Carey wrote for the Daily Express.
“Harry is continuing his paid speaking circuit and is continuing to ridicule his family. Harry jokes the royals are like Downton Abbey, but the TV show has LESS drama. Harry IS the drama,” one critic said on X/Twitter.
“I think Harry has restarted the criticism of his family all over again, but this time with what he thinks are off-the-cuff insults because he now realises the idea of any kind of reconciliation is over,” another person tweeted.
However, there was some defence for the father-of-two, with some people noting that public appearances allow him to earn a living after stepping down as a working royal.
One fan tweeted: “The fact of the matter is that he has to support his family, and the only way he knows how to earn money is public speaking. Why should he be criticised for that?”
“The whole Royal Family are performing, that is their role, so Harry is fulfilling his contract,” another echoed.
Harry’s relationship with his family has been fraught since he and wife Meghan Markle fled the UK and stepped away from royal duties. Things then went from bad to worse when the Sussexes publicly criticised the royals in various TV appearances and Harry’s memoir, Spare.
The last time Harry saw his father, King Charles, was in September during a 50-minute private tea at Clarence House.
It is understood that the last time Harry saw his brother, Prince William, was in August 2024 at the funeral of their uncle, Lord Robert Fellowes. However, reports claimed that the two brothers kept their distance and didn’t speak.