Prince Harry Compares Royal Life to Downton Abbey: "More Drama, Intrigue, and Marriages to Americans"

Downton Abbey stands as a popular British period drama set in the early 20th century.

Prince Harry recently shared that his royal upbringing sometimes felt comparable to "Downton Abbey," albeit with significantly more chaos and complexity.

During his address at the British American Business Council's LA luncheon on Friday, the Duke of Sussex remarked, "People occasionally inquire if growing up in the royal family resembled Julian's Downton Abbey. Indeed, but only one of these worlds features drama, intrigue, elaborate dining experiences, marriages to Americans—and the other is merely a television program."

Having been raised within the British Royal Family, Prince Harry subsequently relocated to California with his wife, Meghan Markle.

He humorously described adjusting to a "new world" in America, including July 4th celebrations commemorating "independence from my great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather." The event also paid tribute to Lord Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey.

Downton Abbey represents a successful British historical drama series set in the early 1900s that follows the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic staff living and working within their magnificent country estate. The show is renowned for blending upstairs-downstairs narratives, featuring romances, family tensions, scandals, and significant historical events such as the Titanic disaster and World War I.

The Duke then discussed the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He playfully advised British supporters would need to "behave, get through customs and past ICE" to witness England and Scotland competing in the US. He jokingly described the two countries' mutual qualification as "a Christmas miracle."

Prince Harry, younger son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, spent his formative years within the Royal Family before serving military duty in Afghanistan. In 2018, he married American actress Meghan Markle. The couple subsequently stepped back from royal responsibilities and relocated to California, where they now raise their two children.

His appearance followed a surprise cameo on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where he parodied himself auditioning for a Hallmark-style "Christmas prince" role. During the segment, he humorously referenced America's "obsession" with royalty and jested that the country had already "elected a king."