Prince Harry gaining U.S. citizenship could pave the way for him to vote—and even enter politics in America, a lawyer has told Newsweek.
The Duke of Sussex told Good Morning America he had considered applying to become a U.S. citizen, though he does not appear to have begun the process.
If he did take the step, he could then enter politics and seek elected office, with the presidency the only job beyond his reach.
Other senior posts, from governor of California, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, to secretary of state, like Henry Kissinger, could all be in his sights if he had the support of the public and political backers.
Alphonse Provinziano, of U.S. law firm Provinziano & Associates, said: "He'd be able to vote in the November election and he could hold any political office in the U.S. except for president.
"If he's a U.S. citizen he could be just like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was a foreign-born person. And Madelaine Albright was secretary of state but she was born in Europe.
"Henry Kissinger's the same. We have a lot of precedent in the U.S. for foreign-born people who become citizens to become prominent politicians.
"It would be a really interesting thing. For example, Prince Albert renounced his American citizenship because he didn't want a conflict of interest as prince of Monaco.
"That would be the kind of challenge that Harry would face. With the U.S./British alliance as strong as it always is, is there ever a situation where there would be a conflict between the U.S. and the Brits? If anything that would probably just continue to cement that special relationship and alliance between the U.K. and the U.S."
The debate has traditionally been around whether Meghan Markle would enter American politics, with some commentators even suggesting she might have once had the presidency in her sights.
However, Harry's comments to Good Morning America open up a path through which both Meghan and Harry could run for different offices.
The first step though would be for Harry to follow through and seek U.S. citizenship, a process that could be more complex than it sounds.
If he were to go through the conventional route he would have to give up his titles and also renounce his allegiance to any "foreign prince," officially and definitively cutting ties with the monarchy he left behind in Britain.
However, Provinziano said there may be some workarounds, including a Supreme Court challenge to the rule.
While a move for full U.S. citizenship could be complex for Harry, Provinziano said he could see Harry going for it: "They're a real card which is why I think Americans love them.
"The conventional knowledge would be to keep things the way they are, there's no real need for them to do this, but It sounds like it's something he's thinking about and like a lot of people who come to the United States you want to be a full-blown citizen.
"You want to play a part in American society. You can't really do that until you're a citizen."
Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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