Prince Harry is one of the most vulnerable people in the fragile world of international diplomacy. The Duke of Sussex is a British royal who lives in California on a visa. This means that U.S. immigration officials can do whatever they want with him. This makes his recent public insults of President Donald Trump even more confusing.
To someone who doesn’t know Prince Harry well, his comments seem like the careless jokes of a famous person who is happy to be in exile. But for experienced royal watchers, these provocations point to a much more complicated—and maybe even desperate—strategy: a planned attempt to force a return to British soil.
The tension started earlier this month during their appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The 41-year-old Duke made a sharp comment about American politics in a sketch mocking holiday movies, which received a mixed response from the studio audience.
“I heard you elected a king,” Prince Harry joked, making a thinly veiled reference to the President that fell flat in today’s political climate.
The Duke stood firm days later. Harry spoke to the British American Business Council in Santa Monica and then turned his attention to one of the administration’s most controversial policy areas: border enforcement. He joked that he was looking forward to welcoming British fans to the upcoming World Cup in Los Angeles. “Provided they behave, and if they make it through customs, and past ICE.”
For a non-citizen resident, making fun of the Commander-in-Chief’s flagship agency is a risky move. The Department of Homeland Security has already been asked about Harry’s visa status, mainly since he talked about using drugs in the past in his memoir, Spare. But instead of keeping a low profile, Harry seems determined to poke the presidential bear.
This behavior has led to a shocking theory among palace insiders: Prince Harry isn’t just being careless; he might be looking for a way out. Hilary Fordwich, an expert on the royal family, says the Duke’s actions could be seen as an unconscious or even a conscious attempt to obtain a deportation order.
Fordwich said, “If Harry’s home life is as unpleasant as we’ve seen, this may be a deliberate attempt to get deported. It’s entirely possible.”
When you look at the Sussexes’ paths, which are becoming increasingly different, the theory makes more sense. Meghan, 44, is focused on her Hollywood empire, launching her lifestyle brand, As Ever, and her Netflix series, With Love, Meghan.
Prince Harry, on the other hand, seems to be looking east. He is currently in high-stakes talks with the U.K. Home Office and the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (RAVEC) to get a new risk assessment. If the court rules in his favor, he could regain his police protection, which would allow him to bring Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4, back to Britain.
Fordwich said, “He wants to have protection in the U.K.” This is different from Meghan’s business goals. “They are going in two completely different opposite directions.”
But if Prince Harry really wants a presidential ejection seat, his plan has hit a snag: Donald Trump feels bad for him. The President has publicly refused to take the bait, even though people have insulted him. Trump recently said that deporting the Prince was a bad idea, and he did so with both mercy and shade.
Trump said, “I’ll leave him alone,” which was a backhanded defense that probably hurt more than a deportation order. “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”
The Duke is still in Montecito, stuck between a rock and a hard place for now. He seems eager to go back to his home country, but he is stuck in California because of a marriage and a visa that, thanks to the President’s lack of concern, are still frustratingly safe.
Prince Harry might be trying to fold his hand, but Donald Trump won’t let him leave the table.
