Don McLean blasts Prince Harry, accuses him of failing to understand US culture: ‘Shut your mouth’
Legendary musician Don McLean has hit out at Prince Harry, accusing the British royal of failing to understand US culture.
The “American Pie” crooner, 78, made the claim in an interview with the Daily Mail on Saturday, accusing Harry, 39, of making rude remarks about Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate.
“You don’t criticize America when you’re living here as our guest,” McLean sniped.
In his 2023 memoir, “Spare” the Duke of Sussex described Presley’s Memphis mansion as “dark” and “claustrophobic.”
“I walked around saying ‘the King lived here, you say? Really?’” Harry recalled in the book. “I stood in one tiny room with loud furniture and shag carpet and thought ‘the King’s interior designer must’ve been on acid.'”
McLean claimed the anecdote indicated that Prince Harry — who immigrated to the US in 2020 — failed to understand his new country of residence.
“His family were as poor as they could be and Harry criticized Elvis’s home as if he’s comparing it to Buckingham Palace, and that misses the point completely,” McLean told the Daily Mail.
“He doesn’t understand that Elvis is like the poor man’s king,” the singer-songwriter continued. “He came from nowhere and his recordings are among the greatest ever made.”
“He [Prince Harry] just doesn’t get America.”
Last year, after Harry’s observations about Graceland were first revealed, McLean tweeted: “Harry should shut his mouth about Graceland and Elvis. He is a hot house orchid, a show horse who never did a thing.’”
McLean isn’t the first legendary rocker to speak harshly of Harry.
Sex Pistols rocker John Lydon told Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, to “f – – k off” in a 2022 interview. .
The punk musician — who was formally known by his stage name Johnny Rotten — raged against the “spiteful” prince and his wife, telling the Telegraph last April that the couple couldn’t stop speaking out — despite allegedly asking for privacy.
“If you want to be normal and outside of [the royal family], then f – – k off. Just f – – k off and shut up!” he declared.