Prince Harry pokes fun at royal ‘drama’ during lighthearted speech

Prince Harry shared a lighthearted moment while speaking at the British-American Business Council’s 65th Annual Christmas Luncheon in Santa Monica, California on December 5.

Per PEOPLE magazine, the Duke of Sussex joked about the “drama” of growing up royal by comparing his life to the famous British series Downton Abbey.

Harry said, “People sometimes ask if growing up with the royal family was a bit like [show creator] Julian's [Fellowes] 'Downton Abbey', yeah, but only one of those worlds is filled with drama, intrigue, elaborate dinners [and] marriages to Americans — and the other is a TV show."

The Duke mentioned that the luncheon was the "first Christmas party” he had attended in “a while,” also speaking about his experience living in the United States.

“For me, being British isn’t about where you physically stand, but what you stand for,” the father-of-two said.

He added that celebrating the Fourth of July had been a completely new experience, noting, "It's a new world to me, celebrating independence from Britain, and more specifically, independence from my great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather.”

The 41-year-old prince also joked about U.S. immigration policies while discussing the 2026 World Cup, saying he looked forward to welcoming British visitors as long as they got “through customs” and “past ICE.”

Prince Harry’s appearance came shortly after his December 3 visit to The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where he played along with jokes about Christmas movies and royalty.