Prince Harry Has a New ‘American’ Accent And an Expert Thinks It Has a Princess Diana Connection

In a recent viral video alongside Jelly Roll in New York City, Prince Harry, who has been living in the United States since 2020 with his wife Meghan Markle, featured a somewhat American accent. In the clip, the Duke of Sussex humorously pretended to get a neck tattoo from the rapper as he invited him to headline the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025. Throughout the segment, Harry used American vocabulary like 'dude' instead of 'mate' and 'a**' in place of the British 'arse,' which sparked a social media buzz.

Social media users picked up on Harry's changed accent and flocked to weigh in. On X (formerly Twitter), one remarked, "Lol, I am watching it now. He uses an American accent. It's been 4 years, born and brought up in the most British-speaking family in England and it took him 4 years to speak in an American accent. He is fake, fake, fake..." Another echoed, "Taking a brief moment from my hiatus just to say: It sounds like...Prince Harry is losing his British accent." In a similar vein, one chimed, "His British accent sounds more diluted to make way for the American accent."

Netizens also noticed Harry's changing accent in 2022 when he was featured in a promo for the tech start-up BetterUp, where he served as chief impact officer. At the time, speech and accent expert, Emma Serlin, opined, "Harry's accent now sounds much more rounded and middle rather than upper class. In a classic Harry way, he's doing what we know him to be— he's the friendly prince, he's charming, he connects with people. He is his mother's son." She added, "He is now 'of the people' in a much more overt way. He has always toned the classic royal accent down and softened it, but previously he was much more aligned with the Royal family," as reported by The Mirror.

Anthony Shuster, another communication coach and accent specialist, examined Harry's accent in the recently circulated video. He drew attention to the stark contrast between King Charles III's formal and precise speaking patterns and the Duke of Sussex's casual tone. Shuster also observed that Harry's accent no longer has the formality typically associated with royal speech and instead swings more toward a relaxed style.

The expert pointed out that Harry's accent started to change years ago, with notable changes beginning in 2019. This shift was influenced by his wife, Markle, who was born in Los Angeles. According to language experts, long-term exposure to someone with a different accent often changes a person's speech patterns, as reported by HELLO! magazine. Harry is known to admire the American culture. Earlier this year during an appearance with Good Morning America he said, "Our kids are bilingual, so they are going to flourish here," referring to both British and American influences.