LONDON -- Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Four years after Harry and his American wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, decamped to a villa in Southern California, a travel company he controls filed paperwork this week informing British authorities that he has moved and is now 鈥渦sually resident鈥� in the United States.
The formal acknowledgment underscores the prince鈥檚 increasing estrangement from Britain, after he and Meghan walked away from royal duties to pursue lucrative media deals in America. Since then, Harry has repeatedly criticized the royal family, including allegations of unconscious racism that were included in a Netflix series and the prince鈥檚 autobiography, 鈥淪pare.鈥�
The paperwork was filed by Travalyst Ltd, a company at least 75 per cent owned by Harry and which was founded in 2020 to 鈥渢o promote global awareness of the importance of sustainable tourism.鈥� The documentation was received Monday by Companies House, the government agency that oversees the incorporation of U.K. companies.
The filing further separates Harry from his role as one of the king鈥檚 counselors of state 鈥� members of the royal family who can be deputized to carry out the duties of the monarch if he is unwell or out of the country.
While Harry formally remains a counselor of state, the crown informed the U.K. Parliament in 2022 that 鈥渋n practice鈥� only working members of the royal family would be called upon to fill in for the monarch.
Although Harry and Meghan have put down roots in the wealthy enclave of Montecito, where they are raising their young son and daughter, Harry is also facing scrutiny about his U.S. residency.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has questioned the Department of Homeland Security鈥檚 decision to grant Harry a U.S. visa following admissions of drug use that were included in 鈥淪pare.鈥�
The foundation, which has asked a judge to force the department to release Harry鈥檚 immigration file, argues that the prince either lied on his visa application or was given special treatment because a history of drug use would normally disqualify an applicant from being granted a visa.
