Meghan says Prince Harry was unable to answer questions on UK citizenship test

The Duchess of Sussex has said Prince Harry was unable to answer questions on the British citizenship exam because they were too hard.

The duchess said she began studying for the exam while living in Britain after the couple got engaged in November 2017, with the intention of applying for indefinite leave to remain and then citizenship.

Speaking on her new podcast, Meghan said: “That citizenship exam is so hard. I was studying for it and I remember going: ‘Oh my goodness.’ I would ask my husband: ‘Did you know this? Did you know this?’ And he went: ‘Huh? I had no idea.’”

Meghan was no longer attempting to become a British citizen once she and Harry left the UK to begin a new life in California. She could not apply for citizenship if she had left the UK for more than 270 days during the three years before applying, the rules state.

Currently the citizenship test is a 45-minute written test that features 24 questions on British traditions and customs.

Meghan was speaking to the actor Pamela Adlon, who has an English mother, during the latest episode of her Archetypes podcast.

In the episode, Good Wife/Bad Wife, Good Mom/Bad Mom, the duchess discussed being a parent and partner in modern life.

Discussing her morning routine during the show, Meghan added: “The morning rush – I’m sure it’ll only get more chaotic as they get older. But for me it’s, you know, both monitors on, for the kids, to hear them, always up with Lili, get her downstairs, then a half hour later Archie’s up.

“Start doing his lunch box right before he’s up, while I have her; getting her a little nibble. My husband’s helping me get him downstairs.

“I make breakfast for all three of them. It’s very important to me. I love doing it. To me it feels like the greatest way to start the morning. And then it’s like, feed all three of the dogs, because we just got another dog, and then get Archie out of the door to school. It feels like a whirlwind.”

She said her husband was “great” when asked by Adlon if Harry was a “good contributor”.

The episode also features conversations with the first lady of Canada, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, and the comedian Sam Jay.

Each episode of Archetypes focuses on demystifying labels that “hold women back”. In a previous episode, Meghan criticised Hollywood caricatures of women from Asian cultures.

The Duchess of Sussex discussed their depiction in films such as Austin Powers and Kill Bill, as well as her own experience of Korean culture in the US, with her guests: the journalist Lisa Ling and the comedian Margaret Cho.

Discussing her own experience of Korean-American culture, Meghan said she and her mother, Doria Ragland, would visit the spa, known as the jjimjilbang, that focuses on relaxing and spending quality time with friends and family. She said she was not aware of the stigmas women of Asian descent faced until many years later.