Is Baby Sussex a Dual Citizen?

The news is out: Baby Sussex has officially arrived! (opens in new tab) Perhaps you've taken a break from screaming and/or crying hysterically (hey, no judgment) to attempt find out everything you'd need to know (opens in new tab) about the newest royal baby. What's his name (opens in new tab)? Where was he born? Will he have a title (opens in new tab)? Who are his godparents?

Well, all will be revealed in due time—the Duke and Duchess are stepping out of the limelight and taking their time to get to know their son—but until then, we can definitely answer one question right off the bat: Is Baby Sussex a dual-citizen?

Prince Harry was obviously born in the United Kingdom, and Meghan was born in the United States (Los Angeles, California to be exact), so the short answer is yes—Baby Sussex currently holds both American and British citizenship. However, things get a little more complicated when we start getting into technicalities. Per the US Department of State (opens in new tab), a baby born outside the United States to one American parent can acquire US citizenship if the American parent has been present in the country prior to the birth for at least five years. Meghan has been residing in the United Kingdom since she and Harry got married in 2018, only visiting home for special occasions like her star-studded baby shower (opens in new tab) in New York earlier this year.

Complicating that further is the possibility of the Duchess pursuing British citizenship. Harry's communications secretary Jason Knauf told the BBC (opens in new tab) back in 2017 that Meghan intended to start the process of attaining legal British citizenship, but that process (opens in new tab) usually takes awhile; you can only apply for UK citizenship after 5 years of residence if you have been a permanent resident for 12 months. In Meghan's case, the time is a bit shorter because spouses of UK citizens can apply after 3 years of residence in the country. The length of naturalization does vary per situation, so Meghan could officially become a citizen sooner than later—she is part of the Royal Family after all.

Until then, Baby Sussex is as American as he is British. Can't wait to see how the little one grows up!

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