Some People Think Prince Harry Sounds American Now

prince harry in this image released on may 2, prince harry, the duke of sussex speaks onstage during global citizen vax live the concert to reunite the world at sofi stadium in inglewood, california global citizen vax liv

(Image credit: Emma McIntyre)

published 22 October 2021

Of all the wild rumors that fly around about Prince Harry and the rest of the royals, this one weirdly seems the most unbelievable. Those who tuned in last month to the BBC documentary specialPrince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers watched a dozen members of the royal family pay sweet homage to the late Duke of Edinburgh, who passed away in April of this year at the age of 99. There were some really beautiful moments, including remembrances from Harry and William, and an emotional Prince Charles talking about his father.

But some of those viewers also noticed something else—namely, that Prince Harry might be speaking with a hint of an American accent. In one segment, in which Harry discusses how the Queen and Prince Philip were “the most adorable couple,” a few royal watchers from the podcast Pod Save the Queen thought his voice was making some decidedly American sounds.

According to Express, podcast host Russell Myers, a Daily Mail royal correspondent, said of Harry, “One thing I will say, which is not having a dig, it’s just a funny observation: I want to know what people think about Harry’s accent when they watch the documentary. I found his diction extraordinary.”He continued that Harry seemed to be raising his voice “as if he has an American twang.” Myers noted that it was more that his intonation sounded American, rather than his accent per se.

If this was any other British person, I’d say it would be somewhat understandable: Harry married an American, he lives in California, and he’s been working on myriad projects with American companies for almost two years. But this is also a member of the royal family—a group that has its own accent! (It’s called Received Pronunciation, and it’s why royals sound so proper when they talk.) I can’t imagine that two years in Santa Barbara would change Harry’s accent that much, right?

We’re not sure we hear the difference, but watch the clip in question and decide for yourself:

Thoughts? Has Harry’s accent been Yankified?