Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made a significant update in his official residency status, marking the United States as his primary home, according to documents filed in the United Kingdom.
The alteration was recorded in a filing for Travalyst, an environmental tourism charity established by Prince Harry. Dated April 15, 2024, the notice identifies Prince Harry by his full name, Prince Henry Charles Albert David Duke of Sussex, and specifies his new country of residence as the United States. This filing was made with Companies House, a governmental agency in the UK, as part of the requisite updates on Prince Harry’s business-related affairs.
Although the formal change of residence was documented this week, it is dated back to June 29, 2023, coinciding with reports from Buckingham Palace that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, had relocated from their former residence at Frogmore Cottage in the UK.
The couple departed the UK following their decision to step back from their roles as senior working members of the royal family in early 2020. After a brief stay in Canada, they settled in the United States, taking up residence in a lavish mansion in Montecito, California, in 2020. Their household includes their two children, Prince Archie, aged 4, and Princess Lilibet, aged 2.
Frogmore Cottage, a property near Windsor Castle, was gifted to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by Queen Elizabeth II following their marriage in 2018. In 2020, the couple reimbursed £2.4 million ($2.99 million) of taxpayers’ money from the Sovereign Grant, which had been used for the cottage’s renovation. However, in March 2023, shortly after ascending to the throne, King Charles formally requested that they vacate the property.
The public became aware of this request following the publication of Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” which contained revelations about Prince William, as well as about King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Confirming the couple’s departure from Frogmore Cottage, Sir Michael Stevens, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, stated, “We can confirm that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have vacated Frogmore Cottage. The Duke and Duchess have repaid the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset,” as reported by The Independent.
Prince Harry has made several visits to the UK since relocating, including attending the funeral services for Prince Philip in 2021 and Queen Elizabeth in 2022. He has also returned to participate in various legal actions against British tabloid publishers and to visit King Charles since the monarch’s diagnosis with an undisclosed form of cancer in February.
During an interview with Good Morning America in February, Prince Harry expressed his positive experience living in the US, stating that becoming a US citizen is a possibility he has considered. However, he emphasized that it is not currently a top priority.
The news of Prince Harry’s formal change of residence comes after a federal judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to provide documents related to Prince Harry’s visa for examination. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, had filed a lawsuit against the department for failing to disclose documents about Prince Harry’s citizenship under the Freedom of Information Act. The foundation’s concern stemmed from Prince Harry’s admission of past recreational drug use in his memoir, raising questions about the accuracy of his visa application.