Prince Harry 'does not have green card' to become US citizen, expert claims

Prince Harry has informed the UK authorities that he now "usually resides" in the United States.

The Duke of Sussex relocated to the States with his wife Meghan Markle back in 2020 after stepping down from their royal duties.

The couple's move across the pond to their Montecito mansion, where they currently live with their two kids, came a few months after their decision to quit the Royal Family.

Three years on from their shock departure from the UK, the Susexes' were officially left homeless in the UK after they were evicted from their former home of Frogmore Cottage as per the King's order, the Mirror reports.

Last week, Harry changed his primary residence from the United Kingdom to the United States with it being backdated to when they officially vacated the cottage last June.

However, according to an expert, the carefully worded language avoided the use of "permanent residence" which suggests that the duke does not have a green card.

Charlotte Slocombe, a partner at the global immigration law firm Fragomen and an expert on US immigration, said: "From a US immigration perspective 'residency' covers a gambit of visa categories and essentially means that he is not a tourist.

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"It does not provide any indication of what type of visa he holds. The lack of the use 'permanent residence' seems to suggest that he does not in fact hold a Green card, which would be the first step to naturalisation and becoming a US citizen.

"Harry can maintain temporary US immigration status by holding an A-1 diplomatic visa, or O-1 Extraordinary Ability or Achievement visa indefinitely, without ever needing to become a permanent resident or US citizen."

This comes after royal expert and author Tom Quinn told the Mirror : "Harry was absolutely furious and in tears about being evicted from Frogmore – he felt his father had no right to do it and that it was purely vindictive."

He continued to say that Harry did not understand why giving up royal life would inevitably mean being also deprived of his royal residence.

Quinn added: "Harry took it as a cruel rejection – a painful reminder of all that he felt when his father fought with his mother during their long drawn out, painful divorce".

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