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Prince Harry compares ‘drama’-filled royal family to ‘Downton…

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This season on the British Royal Family…

Prince Harry compared his experience being a UK royal to the popular British TV series “Downton Abbey” during his speech at the British-American Business Council’s 65th Annual Christmas Luncheon in Santa Monica, Calif. on Friday.

“People sometimes ask if growing up with the royal family was a bit like Julian’s ‘Downton Abbey,’” Harry, 41, said, according to People.

Prince Harry speaks at Project Healthy Minds’ World Mental Health Day in New York City on October 10. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Queen Camilla, King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry leave St Paul’s Cathedral in London in 2017. Getty Images

“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 of Sussex quipped.

Created by Julian Fellowes, “Downton Abbey” is about an aristocratic family who live in a grand English country estate in early 20th-century England. The series aired on ITV from 2010 to 2015 and also spawned three films, including “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” which came out earlier this year.

Maggie Smith in “Downton Abbey.” ©PBS/Courtesy Everett Collection / Everett Collection
Raquel Cassidy, Kevin Doyle, Sophie McShera, Phyllis Logan, Lesley Nicol, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt in “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale.” ©Focus Features/Courtesy Everett Collection

Harry is currently estranged from his family, including dad King Charles III and brother Prince William, after he and wife Meghan Markle quit their royal duties in 2020 and fled the UK for California.

During the Christmas luncheon, Harry, who shares son Archie, 6, and daughter Princess Lilibet, 4, with Markle, 44, spoke about living in the US as a Brit.

“For me, being British isn’t about where you physically stand, but what you stand for,” he said to the crowd, before explaining what it’s been like celebrating Fourth of July in America.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2024 ESPY Awards. Getty Images for W+P
Prince William and Prince Harry attend an Anzac Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving in 2018. Getty Images

“It’s a new world to me, celebrating independence from Britain, and more specifically, independence from my great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather,” Harry shared.

Harry has been back to the UK numerous times since his permanent move, including in September when he and his father, 77, met for the first time in more than a year.

After the meeting, Harry told reporters that Charles — who was diagnosed with cancer last year — is “doing great.”

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and King Charles during Trooping the Colour 2018. Getty Images

Harry was also in London in April for a two-day court hearing for his case against the UK government to win back taxpayer-funded security for him and his family.

After he lost his appeal in the case, Harry told the BBC that he “would love to reconcile” with his family.

Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Windsor in September 2022. Getty Images
Queen Elizabeth II, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Prince William and Kate Middleton on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in July 2018. WireImage

“There have been so many disagreements between myself and some of my family,” Harry said, adding that he’s since “forgiven” them.

“There’s no point continuing to fight anymore, life is precious,” he noted.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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