Will Prince Harry become a US citizen?

While many may assume that Harry’s Royal title gives him special privileges, this is not the case for America...

Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are residing in LA and have officially stepped down as senior members of the British Royal family, what does that mean for Harry’s immigration status? He is, after all, a born prince.

Well, there are a couple theories. The Telegraph spoke with law researcher Matteo Carrera, who speculated that the Duke of Sussex may have entered the US using an A1 Visa.

To qualify for this particular visa, the US Department of State requires the applicant be “a diplomat or government official who is physically present in the United States on assignment,” and "traveling to the United States on behalf of your national government to engage solely in official activities for that government."

“With an A1 visa, Harry would have been able to enter the US and then adjust his status to a green card,” Carrera told the outlet. After three years with a green card, Harry could then apply for US citizenship.

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Another route to citizenship is of course Harry’s American wife, Markle. “She could sponsor him as a spouse,” immigration attorney Karin Wolman told The Guardian. “But it’s not instantaneous... there’s no such thing as automatic and citizenship happens later.”

And while many may assume that Harry’s Royal title is the immigration equivalent of slipping a nice tip to the waiter, the US constitution actually has a very specific clause that actually speaks quite the opposite of this notion.

Trump says Prince Harry, Meghan Markle 'must pay if they want to live in the US

Article I, section 9, clause 8 states, “No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States. And no person holding any office of profit or trust under them shall, without the consent of the congress, accept of any present, emolument, office or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign State.”

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Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump recently made it clear that Harry and Meghan "must pay" if they want to live in the country. Trump took to Twitter to blatantly write, "I am a great friend and admirer of the Queen and the United Kingdom. It was reported that Harry and Meghan, who left the Kingdom, would reside permanently in Canada. Now they have left Canada for the US. However, the US will not pay for their security protection.” He then added with emphasis, “They must pay!”

But the former Royals made it clear that they weren’t asking for any help in the first place. A Sussex spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Sunday that the duo have no plans to ask the US government for security resources.

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