Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, declared the United States as his country of residency in a new business document, sparking speculation the 39-year-old might be close to severing all ties with his royal past.
The declaration was backdated to June but was only made public this week when Harry updated his personal details with his eco-tourism firm Travalyst.
According to the U.K.’s Daily Mail, Harry surprised people in the firm by taking part via video in a business call.
But another surprising revelation was also made: He no longer calls the country of his birth his home.
The royal, who moved to California in 2020 with his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, shared an update to his personal details on a document as a matter of general business, The Sun reported Wednesday.
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The document, which was filed electronically, confirms Harry’s birth date, his full name and his official title in the British monarchy.
But in a section for “New Details,” the royal listed a change of residency, declaring “UNITED STATES” as his “New Country.”
The date given for the change of residency was June 29, 2023 — nearly a year ago.
The Sun noted the date of Harry’s change in residency coincided with his and Meghan’s ouster from their royal estate in Windsor last summer.
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As the outlet noted, that was the day his father, King Charles III, and his brother William, Prince of Wales, agreed Harry should be removed from Frogmore Cottage.
The couple left the estate amid personal drama between the second son of Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, and the other royals after Meghan implied the British crown was not accepting of the couple’s mixed-race son, Archie.
Meghan, a former actress, was born in the U.S. to a white father and a black mother.
She told Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that she believed her son’s skin pigmentation played a role in his not being named a prince upon birth.
“It’s not their right to take away,” she said of what she called Archie’s birthright, the U.K.’s Guardian reported.
Winfrey asked, “Do you think it’s because of his race?”
The duchess responded, “In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we [had] the conversation of he won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title.”
She added, “And, also, concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
Harry later released a memoir, “Spare,” in which he recounted his life as the brother of the successor to the crown and aired out his family’s business.
According to royal expert Phil Dampier, the prince might have declared the U.S. as his country out of a sense of acceptance that years of tension with his family have alienated him and he must accept a life living outside of their circle.
“Being ousted from Frogmore Cottage wounded him deeply,” Dampier told The Sun.
The outlet noted Harry previously said he had considered becoming an American citizen, which would mean he would have to forfeit his title.
Dampier speculated the prince might never again call the country of his birth home and that few people in his family would be bothered by that.
