Prince Harry lit up the British American Business Council’s annual Christmas luncheon Friday in Santa Monica with his trademark wit, bringing laughter to royal life and American culture.
Speaking to more than 200 business leaders, the Duke of Sussex joked that growing up in the royal family sometimes made him feel like he was living in a real-life Downton Abbey.
“Only one world is filled with drama, intrigue, elaborate dinners and marriages to Americans,” he joked, “the other is a TV show.”
The Duke marked the upcoming 250th anniversary of US independence, calling the “special relationship” between the US and UK deeply personal, reflecting on his own service alongside US troops in Afghanistan and the centuries-old bonds between the nations.
And he couldn’t help but poke fun at the 2026 World Cup. With England and Scotland already qualified, he joked about British fans flooding American beer halls and warned that his country’s pubs could stay open until 1am.
“What could possibly be going on?” » he mused, drawing laughter from the crowd.
The Duke also took a moment to touch on geography, reflecting on the original practice of Americans naming towns after British towns.
He teased Birmingham, Alabama, against Birmingham, England, noting, “Two wonderfully different places you won’t find.”
