Would Prince Harry have to give up his royal titles to become a US citizen?
Prince Harry might have to learn the “Star-Spangled Banner” real quick if he wants to become an American citizen.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, recently revealed if he would ever apply for US citizenship as he currently lives in Montecito, California, with his wife, Meghan Markle, 42, and their two children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2.
However, there has been some concern over whether or not he would be able to keep his royal titles if he makes that change.
According to the US Citizen and Immigration Services policy, the prince would not be able to keep his status as a royal.
“Any applicant who has any titles of heredity or positions of nobility in any foreign state must renounce the title or the position,” the law states.
“The applicant must expressly renounce the title in a public ceremony and USCIS must record the renunciation as part of the proceedings. Failure to renounce the title of position shows a lack of attachment to the Constitution.”
Even when taking the Oath of Allegiance when becoming an American citizen, those with affluent names must disavow their titles.
“I further renounce the title of (give title or titles) which I have heretofore held” or “I further renounce the order of nobility (give the order of nobility) to which I have heretofore belonged,” the person would declare.
Despite the rule, Los Angeles lawyer Alphonse Provinziano told Newsweek Tuesday that while the Constitution notes that Congress “can’t confer foreign titles,” the document “doesn’t say anything about being a foreign citizen [or] having a title when you become a US citizen.”
“I think there’s actually a challenge to this under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment because it treats people differently,” the attorney added.
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
Provinziano explained that Harry’s predicament could even go all the way to the Supreme Court because the “court would have to review the law to make sure it’s constitutional.”
The Invictus Games founder opened up about the possibility during an interview with “Good Morning America” in Vancouver, Canada, earlier this month.
“The American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but certainly not something that is a high priority for me right now,” he said.
Even though life in the US is “amazing,” he added that he “doesn’t know how I feel” about being American.
The snowy vacation came just after it was announced that Harry and Markle would give Lilibet and Archie the last name of “Sussex” instead of “Mountbatten-Windsor.”
