This whole time, I’ve assumed that Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet have little American accents. Lili was born in California, and Archie moved to California before his first birthday. Kids sound like their classmates and friends, not their parents. They can’t “inherit” Prince Harry’s British accent. But what if Harry’s accent is becoming more “American” the longer he lives in California? People are apparently obsessively watching Harry’s Invictus video with Jelly Roll, and they think his accent is changing:
I still hear his normal British accent, but his speech patterns have changed a bit – he does say “man” instead of “mate,” he uses more American phrasing than British phrasing. But the Daily Mail has been stalking the Sussex Squad accounts, so they made a story about it. So did the Telegraph.
It has been more than four years since Prince Harry stepped down as a senior working royal and bid farewell to London in favour of sunnier days in Montecito with his wife, Meghan Markle. Although he was educated at Eton and was taught to speak the King’s English, it appears he is now losing his original accent.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, has previously expressed his joy at living in the States with his children Archie, five and Lilibet, three, describing his life in America as ‘amazing’. He even admitted that he ‘loves every single day’, adding that he has thought about becoming a US citizen, in an interview with Good Morning America in February. The Duchess of Sussex, 43, is a Californian and has remained in the state just an hour and a half’s drive from where she was born in Los Angeles.
Fans now believe that Harry has adopted Meghan’s American accent and sayings, after a video emerged of him getting a fake tattoo earlier this week. The two-minute long skit with musician Jelly Roll, filmed at New York tattoo parlour East Side Ink, saw people pointing out that he has now gone Cali cool.
One wrote: ‘He totally has an American accent now,’ while another penned: ‘Prince Harry’s British accent sounds more diluted to make way for the American accent.’ Another said: ‘It sounds like Prince Harry is losing his British accent.’
The clip – which was filmed to promote The Invictus Games – sees the Duke say the American term ‘Screw it, let’s do it,’ to Jelly Roll. He then used several American mannerisms, calling the tattoo artist ‘dude’ and saying ‘That [tattoo] feels big man.’
The royal then exclaimed: ‘You put your name on my neck,’ raising his voice at the end of the sentence, which is commonly what US speakers tend to do. He also appeared to say that the ink could be put on his ‘ass’, rather than using the English saying, which is ‘arse’.
LOL, they’re outraged! I don’t even think it’s that his accent has changed a little bit, it’s that his speech patterns have adapted so that Americans can understand him. He probably doesn’t even know he does it, and most of it isn’t conscious at all. He’s coming up on five years since he moved to California with Meghan and Archie – of course that kind of time away from Britain is going to change his slang and speech patterns.
What’s also funny is that I remember watching Harry’s 60 Minutes interview last year and thinking that it was weird that his accent hasn’t actually changed that much. He still sounds so posh and British in this interview, done about 22 months ago.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Netflix, Invictus screencaps.
Prinz Harry bei der Eröffnung der Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 in der Merkur Spiel-Arena. Düsseldorf, 09.09.2023 *** Prince Harry at the opening of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 at the Merkur Spiel Arena Düsseldorf, 09 09 2023 Foto:xR.xSchmiegeltx/xFuturexImagex invictus_opening_3930,Image: 804244131, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Robert Schmiegelt / Avalon
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – 13th Sep 2023. SEPTEMBER 13: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany. *** DUESSELDORF, GERMANY 13th Sep 2023 SEPTEMBER 13 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany,Image: 805097817, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Moritz Mueller / Avalon
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – 13th Sep 2023. SEPTEMBER 13: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany. *** DUESSELDORF, GERMANY 13th Sep 2023 SEPTEMBER 13 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany,Image: 805098241, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Moritz Mueller / Avalon
Düsseldorf, Germany, 16th Sep 2023. Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex speaks at the ceremony. The Invictus Games Düsseldorf conclude with a closing ceremony at Merkur Spiel Arena. 21 nations participated in the games this year. Athletes parade around the arena and participate, and there are performances from singers Sam Ryder and Rita Ora, as well as speeches from Prince Harry, German President Steinmeyer and other dignitaries.,Image: 805855613, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Imageplotter / Avalon
Prinz Harry, Herzog von Sussex bei seiner Rede, Closing Ceremony, am 16.09.2023 Invictus Games Duesseldorf, vom 09.09. – 16.09.2023 in Duesseldorf/ Deutschland. Â *** Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex during his speech, Closing Ceremony, on 16 09 2023 Invictus Games Duesseldorf, from 09 09 16 09 2023 in Duesseldorf Germany Â,Image: 805975484, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON / Avalon
Soooo long story short, Harry is like every other person that moves to another country?!! How many Americans have moved to the UK and say bin, or lift, or takeaway? They take it so personally like he’s pissed on the Union Jack or something. He sounds the exact same as far as accent goes to me.
They are mad because things like changing his vocabulary and taking up California pastimes like surfing all point to the fact that he enjoys his Californian life, is keen to fit in, and has no intention of returning to the UK. Coupled with the fact he never speaks about the UK royals anymore suggests he has moved on. The UK press and royalists don’t like that.
The surfing sent them more bonkers than usual. “he’s not even surfing at the beach”. No, Prince Harry has the money to get surf lessons at the surf park.
It’s a milder form of code switching. Like when a black person is around black friends or a gay person around safe friends versus when they are at work at the office or other environment where a more neutral accent is appropriate or accepted.
Harry was joking around with Jellyroll so he used slang, he is in a serious interview with Anderson Cooper and uses the King’s English.
Humans just adapt to their environment but clutching your pearls is state of being the BM is most comfortable.
I was about to say something similar, but you said it all. I remember that after learning to speak English at the age of 10, I realized in high school that although I could finally understand my friends readily, still their speech pattern was somehow different than my own. I thought that my way of speaking sounded more stilted than theirs. So, I made it my mission to learn to speak like them (up to a point). For instance, I used to annunciate things like “I’m going to”, but when I was with them, I actually practiced saying “I’m gonna” to fit in more. However, during job interviews or in class, I would revert to a more formal speech pattern, which is normal for me. That’s just something people do when they’re living in a “foreign” atmosphere.
Oh I agree he sounds the same . He has always had a very soft accent which I can understand. So he picks up a few word that we use here so what. What about dear old Can’t and her try hard posh accent that she doesn’t have.
Isn’t that normal for aristos to have a soft accent? They spend a lot of time with an international set. Meanwhile, I was watching Sherwood and benefited from captions. Some of their terminology just sounds made up. Like a rural version of Cockney.
I’m from Vermont but have moved to the south many years ago. I will say a few things they say down here but I draw the line at ya’ll and bless her/his heart lol.
I’ve never lived in the south and barely spent time there, but sometimes I find myself using cliche truck stop diner accent/lingo to soften how men respond to me. Like dealing with contractors in very male spaces.
I moved from New Jersey to Miami. Granted Miami isn’t like Georgia with accents but yes, after five years I’d lost a lot of New Jersey phrasing and pronunciations. Forty-five years later the New Jersey still comes out every once in a while.
Hell, I watch a lot of UK television (I adore BritBox and Masterpiece Theatre on PBS), and I’ve adopted Britishisms like calling cats moggies and panties knickers. It’s not that unusual to adopt the mannerisms and speech patterns of those around us. What a nothingburger.
OMG! What a crime! After living in the USA for almost 4 years, his Brit accent has softened. Remember when I was a teenager a million years ago on a family vacation at a resort for a week. Lots of Brits/Brit teenagers-hung around with them. Came back with a slight Brit accent. Went away after two weeks. It was funny then, more funny now, that there are articles written about Harry’s accent. What did you all think would happen when you chased Harry & Meghan out of the UK? fyi, he sounds British to me. Kate, on the other hand, need a translator most of the time. The clipped speak doesn’t work for her.
Daughter moved South. She’s always been good with languages and accents. It’s helpful in her line of business. She recognizes accents and adopts them accordingly.
Crime against humanity! Prince Harry sounds a little American since living here for 4 years! How did this HAPPEN? He’s been around too many Americans.lol Dilution happens.
fyi, P*ss M, hasn’t always sounded like a Brit. The accent was there, his wording, not so much.imo
Of all the things to be worried about — slumlording, Airrly Yarrs, Keenshot Earthflop, intermittent refusal to work, tiaras and… *throw in some empathy* — it’s Harry’s accent that is bothering the leftovers.
Imagine the ginger not even with that southern twang but rather a full on backwoods drawl. You’d make fortune digging up the salt mines that would be Britain 😂😂😂😂😂
These people spend so much space and time on the most ridiculous things about the Sussexes. I truly doubt any Britons are thinking about Harry’s possible accent shifts. Get a life !
I thank Harry is a happy man where he is. He is with his beautiful family. I feel like his dear family means so much to him. God has him and his family in the palm of his hands. He will use them in a mighty way. The children are so well taken care of my Meghan and Harry. I am for one to say I am so proud of them they have taken their family a building memories that will last a lifetime. Stay strong with God because you two and God has this. Here’s to you both. YAY YAY YAY
This is so silly. I lived in Canada for a decade and had to change my word usage so the locals knew what I was talking about. And over time my vowels shifted and Canadian rrr sounds crept into my New Zealand accent.
I’ve been living back in New Zealand for about 15 years now (gulp) and the Canadian r is still lurking around. Harry won’t lose his English accent, but bits of the California accent will sneak in. It happens to everyone.
It’s necessary to adjust lingo to the local region. Like, in the US most people know the word soda, but if you usually say pop, huge regions won’t know that word. And the British term for cigarette is not well regarded stateside.
@mightymolly OMG! The first time I heard someone refer to my cig in Brit terms I almost tried to fight em. I would love to know how that became the term.
I would LOVE to know. Obviously it’s not intended as a hateful slur, but it’s so cringey on British shows. Like, I would never say that word, but I feel like I’d seem really uptight as an American being all “guys, wut?” if I were in Britain.
What really floored me was hearing someone asking for a cigarette. (“Can you whip me a f**?”)
I lived in the UK for a year. I made a mistake the first evening by using pants/jeans/trousers interchangeably. In the UK pants==underwear. I believe what I specifically said was “It doesn’t matter what you wear so long as you don’t wear pants.”
This is one of lifes unintentional lessons, i’ve brits complaining about immigrants and Refugees, not integrating learning their language and culture, now they are on their high horse that Harry in integrating. lol
Of course, we live in France and most of the British immigrants to France speak little or no French, mind you they are mainly people who have retired and it isn’t easy to learn a new language when you are old.
I feel like this is where Brits & Americans overlap quite a bit. We are equally awful about not truly immersing ourselves in other cultures. When I was young and backpacking through Europe, I was so self-conscious about the “ugly American” trope. Yet, in my experience, it was Aussies who were the loudest and most brazen. I’m not sure Europeans can actually tell the difference between Americans and Aussies, though.
No, no, no @ Nikki (Toronto). What you do is to continue criticizing Harry over and over again about everything, then you hope that it yields different results. Ay?!
In the netflix doc Meghan makes a joke to someone about how in the UK Harry is “Mr Justice Man” but in california he’s “Mr Just-Is Man” (said in stoner accent).
And when i heard that i laughed, but also, how great for him.
Out of that abusive dysfunction, into the California sun.
This is a dumb controversy considering this is a scripted ad not real life conversation. That being said, I’m sure Harry’s accent and language has changed. That’s normal when moving to a new country. Acting like it’s the crime of the century is bizarre.
I’m from Kentucky and now live one state away and have mostly lost my southern accent and have picked up midwestern things like, ope. When I go home though it partially comes back. Same for a friend of mine from Glasgow. In Cleveland she sounds very Scottish, but her family back home tease her about having lost her accent. She just got back from a visit to Scotland and I could tell her accent was thicker than usual. Someone alert the British media!
Born and raised in Yorkshire, England, my mum, w/my dad, both in their mi-twenties, immigrated to Quebec, Canada. Lived there about 25 years.
With her 2nd husband, also from UK, she moved to Texas, USA.
Ever heard a British-Canadian-Quebecois-Texan accent? Hilarious when she said y’all (which HAS rubbed off on me). Folks tell me when I am angry I sound very clipped and British. I do still often use British words (whilst is one I can’t seem to shake) and try French words in word puzzles w/o realizing it. It’s part of how we all become one with dust in the end, I figure.
I think there can be code-switching but it’s also totally typical to pick up pronunciation (not a full accent) or phraseology from people you spend the most time with. I was born in NY, lived in NJ, lived in VA, and now live in IL, and my speech is such a hodgepodge. I also have a lot of UK friends, so I’ll use a British turn of phrase from time to time — “he scarpered off at 5:01.” Remember when Madonna started speaking with a British accent? Now THAT was hilarious.
My husband is English and we’ve lived in the U.S. for close to two decades — he sounds very British to Americans, and sounds a bit American to his British friends.
It happens.
Me too! Brought up in the UK and been in Canada for 50 years, and my family say I sound like an American, and to Canadians I have an English accent.
As well as picking up the accent, my Vocabulary changed as things were incorporated into my speech. I also say ‘eh’ At the end of sentences!
One of the things that was tricky at first was using words and phrases I grew up with that meant something entirely different in North America. Homey vs homely for example. And you certainly do not talk about knocking somebody up in the morning (British meaning to knock on the door to get them up to get going to wherever). My biggest faux pas was referring to an injection as a prick – that got me into trouble a number of times!
Many words are pronounced differently tom-ay-to vs tom-ah-to, vie-ta-min vs vit-a-min, yoh-gert vs yog-ut, gar-ag-ju vs garridge.
Someone, I forget who,said that England and North America were divided by a common language 🙂
My lovely mom once called my father-in-law a “bugger” — a term she used affectionately to mean “annoyance.”
My father-in-law nearly keeled over in shock, but was nice enough to laugh about it after I explained that it doesn’t mean in America what it means in England.
My first MIL used to use it affectionately towards my FIL, “your a bugger for doing that” Meaning that he often did something which was a bit annoying for her. Such as not putting the cutlery in the right place.
The Brits are so snobbish about their accents which define your class and region. They seem to look down on all other accents. British friends who have lived in Canada for a long time tell me they always get the gears when they go home for “losing” their original accents. To us, they retain their accents. Perhaps over the years changes in their vowels. As everyone has already pointed out, people pick up the vocabulary of the English speaking country they reside in and sometimes the intonation, and eventually the speech pattern. But unless you are very young when you emigrate, it seems one keeps one’s accent when one has emigrated as an adult. I’m not surprised at all that Harry’s accent is a story. There were stories about what kind of accent Archie would have as soon as they left for the US.
“The Brits are so snobbish about their accents which define your class and region.” Especially the Brits who have an unhealthy obsession with the Sussexes. When I visit my Texas relatives, or even talk on the phone, I pick up their accent a little. When I spent 5 weeks in Great Britain after college I called home and my mom asked me Why are you talking so funny? It happens. Years ago I was taking some summer classes with teachers from all over the US and I (foolishly) said, Well, I’m from Michigan, we don’t speak with an accent like many of you. Oh, how they laughed … 😊
Once again the British tabloid media making arses out of themselves.. as someone who had a “Canadian” accent that was very noticeable when I first moved away, I can tell you it returns fast as lightning after 24 hours back home.
I remembered reading about it so I checked his wikipedia page and Gary Oldman has a similar story with his accent. He had to hire a dialect coach because he was losing his British accent as his children were brought up in the US. I think it’s just your brain doing his thing and adapting to your environment, it’s quite funny.
I feel like Harry was born to live in California. He fits in so well. And honestly, he did request to be stationed in SoCal long before he met Meghan and he famously partied in LA & San Diego. No wonder he and Meghan bonded so quickly. They were in love with one another’s cultures before they even met.
I think he’s adorable and this clip is hilarious. And my guess is Harry is trying to fit in. Trying to sound more like the people that are now his life. I can’t imagine he’d want to sound like a stuffy, uppity, peggety-peg when he’s hanging with the dudes.
He is naturally funny and so likable! I hope he gives us more content like this.
It’s called code-switching and everybody with a half decent ear does it—to signal “I’m with you, man” to the folks they’re with. News apparently to the British press? Who truth be told make the British sound like the most xenophobic and least culturally competent people on the planet… smh
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Soooo long story short, Harry is like every other person that moves to another country?!! How many Americans have moved to the UK and say bin, or lift, or takeaway? They take it so personally like he’s pissed on the Union Jack or something. He sounds the exact same as far as accent goes to me.
They are mad because things like changing his vocabulary and taking up California pastimes like surfing all point to the fact that he enjoys his Californian life, is keen to fit in, and has no intention of returning to the UK. Coupled with the fact he never speaks about the UK royals anymore suggests he has moved on. The UK press and royalists don’t like that.
The surfing sent them more bonkers than usual. “he’s not even surfing at the beach”. No, Prince Harry has the money to get surf lessons at the surf park.
It’s a milder form of code switching. Like when a black person is around black friends or a gay person around safe friends versus when they are at work at the office or other environment where a more neutral accent is appropriate or accepted.
Harry was joking around with Jellyroll so he used slang, he is in a serious interview with Anderson Cooper and uses the King’s English.
Humans just adapt to their environment but clutching your pearls is state of being the BM is most comfortable.
I was about to say something similar, but you said it all. I remember that after learning to speak English at the age of 10, I realized in high school that although I could finally understand my friends readily, still their speech pattern was somehow different than my own. I thought that my way of speaking sounded more stilted than theirs. So, I made it my mission to learn to speak like them (up to a point). For instance, I used to annunciate things like “I’m going to”, but when I was with them, I actually practiced saying “I’m gonna” to fit in more. However, during job interviews or in class, I would revert to a more formal speech pattern, which is normal for me. That’s just something people do when they’re living in a “foreign” atmosphere.
Oh I agree he sounds the same . He has always had a very soft accent which I can understand. So he picks up a few word that we use here so what. What about dear old Can’t and her try hard posh accent that she doesn’t have.
Isn’t that normal for aristos to have a soft accent? They spend a lot of time with an international set. Meanwhile, I was watching Sherwood and benefited from captions. Some of their terminology just sounds made up. Like a rural version of Cockney.
I moved here from Oklahoma and *shock* am no longer identifiable as from Oklahoma unless I am around people with that accent.
It’s how accents work, Saltines!
I’m from Vermont but have moved to the south many years ago. I will say a few things they say down here but I draw the line at ya’ll and bless her/his heart lol.
I’ve never lived in the south and barely spent time there, but sometimes I find myself using cliche truck stop diner accent/lingo to soften how men respond to me. Like dealing with contractors in very male spaces.
I moved from New Jersey to Miami. Granted Miami isn’t like Georgia with accents but yes, after five years I’d lost a lot of New Jersey phrasing and pronunciations. Forty-five years later the New Jersey still comes out every once in a while.
Exactly. My accent drifts noticeably just from playing a weekly pub quiz with a bunch of Brits.
But I do love the new avenue for the same old subtext:
Wwaaahhhhhhh! Harry left us! Harry come bbbaaaaccckkkkk!
Nice catch.
Hell, I watch a lot of UK television (I adore BritBox and Masterpiece Theatre on PBS), and I’ve adopted Britishisms like calling cats moggies and panties knickers. It’s not that unusual to adopt the mannerisms and speech patterns of those around us. What a nothingburger.
OMG! What a crime! After living in the USA for almost 4 years, his Brit accent has softened. Remember when I was a teenager a million years ago on a family vacation at a resort for a week. Lots of Brits/Brit teenagers-hung around with them. Came back with a slight Brit accent. Went away after two weeks. It was funny then, more funny now, that there are articles written about Harry’s accent. What did you all think would happen when you chased Harry & Meghan out of the UK? fyi, he sounds British to me. Kate, on the other hand, need a translator most of the time. The clipped speak doesn’t work for her.
Daughter moved South. She’s always been good with languages and accents. It’s helpful in her line of business. She recognizes accents and adopts them accordingly.
Crime against humanity! Prince Harry sounds a little American since living here for 4 years! How did this HAPPEN? He’s been around too many Americans.lol Dilution happens.
fyi, P*ss M, hasn’t always sounded like a Brit. The accent was there, his wording, not so much.imo
Of all the things to be worried about — slumlording, Airrly Yarrs, Keenshot Earthflop, intermittent refusal to work, tiaras and… *throw in some empathy* — it’s Harry’s accent that is bothering the leftovers.
Who would have guessed?
This 👆!! You beat me to it.
This is gone beyond the pale for stupidity!!
So what if he is? What’s the problem? Hope he goes all in on it just to piss them off more.
They should be glad he didn’t move to Texas or a southern state. LOL.
Imagine the ginger not even with that southern twang but rather a full on backwoods drawl. You’d make fortune digging up the salt mines that would be Britain 😂😂😂😂😂
I think RR should be more worried about Will’s dilution of a life of royal service by not being arsed about turning up regularly!
These people spend so much space and time on the most ridiculous things about the Sussexes. I truly doubt any Britons are thinking about Harry’s possible accent shifts. Get a life !
I thank Harry is a happy man where he is. He is with his beautiful family. I feel like his dear family means so much to him. God has him and his family in the palm of his hands. He will use them in a mighty way. The children are so well taken care of my Meghan and Harry. I am for one to say I am so proud of them they have taken their family a building memories that will last a lifetime. Stay strong with God because you two and God has this. Here’s to you both. YAY YAY YAY
I love that guy.
That video was so funny. He has great comedic timing.
This is so silly. I lived in Canada for a decade and had to change my word usage so the locals knew what I was talking about. And over time my vowels shifted and Canadian rrr sounds crept into my New Zealand accent.
I’ve been living back in New Zealand for about 15 years now (gulp) and the Canadian r is still lurking around. Harry won’t lose his English accent, but bits of the California accent will sneak in. It happens to everyone.
It’s necessary to adjust lingo to the local region. Like, in the US most people know the word soda, but if you usually say pop, huge regions won’t know that word. And the British term for cigarette is not well regarded stateside.
@mightymolly OMG! The first time I heard someone refer to my cig in Brit terms I almost tried to fight em. I would love to know how that became the term.
I would LOVE to know. Obviously it’s not intended as a hateful slur, but it’s so cringey on British shows. Like, I would never say that word, but I feel like I’d seem really uptight as an American being all “guys, wut?” if I were in Britain.
What really floored me was hearing someone asking for a cigarette. (“Can you whip me a f**?”)
I lived in the UK for a year. I made a mistake the first evening by using pants/jeans/trousers interchangeably. In the UK pants==underwear. I believe what I specifically said was “It doesn’t matter what you wear so long as you don’t wear pants.”
This is one of lifes unintentional lessons, i’ve brits complaining about immigrants and Refugees, not integrating learning their language and culture, now they are on their high horse that Harry in integrating. lol
Of course, we live in France and most of the British immigrants to France speak little or no French, mind you they are mainly people who have retired and it isn’t easy to learn a new language when you are old.
I feel like this is where Brits & Americans overlap quite a bit. We are equally awful about not truly immersing ourselves in other cultures. When I was young and backpacking through Europe, I was so self-conscious about the “ugly American” trope. Yet, in my experience, it was Aussies who were the loudest and most brazen. I’m not sure Europeans can actually tell the difference between Americans and Aussies, though.
Also quite possible that those who helped script the ad with Jellyroll are American.
If they are worried about his accent, they should allow him to visit more.
Bingo!
Encourage him, entertain him royally. The Tabs want him back yet they continue to criticise him. Doh!
No, no, no @ Nikki (Toronto). What you do is to continue criticizing Harry over and over again about everything, then you hope that it yields different results. Ay?!
In the netflix doc Meghan makes a joke to someone about how in the UK Harry is “Mr Justice Man” but in california he’s “Mr Just-Is Man” (said in stoner accent).
And when i heard that i laughed, but also, how great for him.
Out of that abusive dysfunction, into the California sun.
In my best Austin Powers accent, I want to tell the royal rota, “Oh, Behave!”
This is a tempest in a teapot. Makes me wonder what these people actually do with their time.
I just smiled
This is a dumb controversy considering this is a scripted ad not real life conversation. That being said, I’m sure Harry’s accent and language has changed. That’s normal when moving to a new country. Acting like it’s the crime of the century is bizarre.
Want to bet that Meghan can do a British accent, it would be funny if she let loose one day.
I mean he still sounds mostly British to my american ears.
They saw that sussex squad member’s post on social media and wrote a whole article about it….
I’m from Kentucky and now live one state away and have mostly lost my southern accent and have picked up midwestern things like, ope. When I go home though it partially comes back. Same for a friend of mine from Glasgow. In Cleveland she sounds very Scottish, but her family back home tease her about having lost her accent. She just got back from a visit to Scotland and I could tell her accent was thicker than usual. Someone alert the British media!
What in the heck is an “ope”, and how do you pronounce it?
Born and raised in Yorkshire, England, my mum, w/my dad, both in their mi-twenties, immigrated to Quebec, Canada. Lived there about 25 years.
With her 2nd husband, also from UK, she moved to Texas, USA.
Ever heard a British-Canadian-Quebecois-Texan accent? Hilarious when she said y’all (which HAS rubbed off on me). Folks tell me when I am angry I sound very clipped and British. I do still often use British words (whilst is one I can’t seem to shake) and try French words in word puzzles w/o realizing it. It’s part of how we all become one with dust in the end, I figure.
Harry still sounds British to me. If anything, he’s code switching. Archie has an American accent we heard him speak in the docu-series.
I think there can be code-switching but it’s also totally typical to pick up pronunciation (not a full accent) or phraseology from people you spend the most time with. I was born in NY, lived in NJ, lived in VA, and now live in IL, and my speech is such a hodgepodge. I also have a lot of UK friends, so I’ll use a British turn of phrase from time to time — “he scarpered off at 5:01.” Remember when Madonna started speaking with a British accent? Now THAT was hilarious.
My husband is English and we’ve lived in the U.S. for close to two decades — he sounds very British to Americans, and sounds a bit American to his British friends.
It happens.
The English newspapers are obsessed with minutia.
Me too! Brought up in the UK and been in Canada for 50 years, and my family say I sound like an American, and to Canadians I have an English accent.
As well as picking up the accent, my Vocabulary changed as things were incorporated into my speech. I also say ‘eh’ At the end of sentences!
One of the things that was tricky at first was using words and phrases I grew up with that meant something entirely different in North America. Homey vs homely for example. And you certainly do not talk about knocking somebody up in the morning (British meaning to knock on the door to get them up to get going to wherever). My biggest faux pas was referring to an injection as a prick – that got me into trouble a number of times!
Many words are pronounced differently tom-ay-to vs tom-ah-to, vie-ta-min vs vit-a-min, yoh-gert vs yog-ut, gar-ag-ju vs garridge.
Someone, I forget who,said that England and North America were divided by a common language 🙂
My lovely mom once called my father-in-law a “bugger” — a term she used affectionately to mean “annoyance.”
My father-in-law nearly keeled over in shock, but was nice enough to laugh about it after I explained that it doesn’t mean in America what it means in England.
My first MIL used to use it affectionately towards my FIL, “your a bugger for doing that” Meaning that he often did something which was a bit annoying for her. Such as not putting the cutlery in the right place.
The Brits are so snobbish about their accents which define your class and region. They seem to look down on all other accents. British friends who have lived in Canada for a long time tell me they always get the gears when they go home for “losing” their original accents. To us, they retain their accents. Perhaps over the years changes in their vowels. As everyone has already pointed out, people pick up the vocabulary of the English speaking country they reside in and sometimes the intonation, and eventually the speech pattern. But unless you are very young when you emigrate, it seems one keeps one’s accent when one has emigrated as an adult. I’m not surprised at all that Harry’s accent is a story. There were stories about what kind of accent Archie would have as soon as they left for the US.
“The Brits are so snobbish about their accents which define your class and region.” Especially the Brits who have an unhealthy obsession with the Sussexes. When I visit my Texas relatives, or even talk on the phone, I pick up their accent a little. When I spent 5 weeks in Great Britain after college I called home and my mom asked me Why are you talking so funny? It happens. Years ago I was taking some summer classes with teachers from all over the US and I (foolishly) said, Well, I’m from Michigan, we don’t speak with an accent like many of you. Oh, how they laughed … 😊
Once again the British tabloid media making arses out of themselves.. as someone who had a “Canadian” accent that was very noticeable when I first moved away, I can tell you it returns fast as lightning after 24 hours back home.
I remembered reading about it so I checked his wikipedia page and Gary Oldman has a similar story with his accent. He had to hire a dialect coach because he was losing his British accent as his children were brought up in the US. I think it’s just your brain doing his thing and adapting to your environment, it’s quite funny.
I feel like Harry was born to live in California. He fits in so well. And honestly, he did request to be stationed in SoCal long before he met Meghan and he famously partied in LA & San Diego. No wonder he and Meghan bonded so quickly. They were in love with one another’s cultures before they even met.
I think he’s adorable and this clip is hilarious. And my guess is Harry is trying to fit in. Trying to sound more like the people that are now his life. I can’t imagine he’d want to sound like a stuffy, uppity, peggety-peg when he’s hanging with the dudes.
He is naturally funny and so likable! I hope he gives us more content like this.
So, the cheapskate press doesn’t even get “experts” in any more – it’s anonymous randos tweeting? jesus.
It’s called code-switching and everybody with a half decent ear does it—to signal “I’m with you, man” to the folks they’re with. News apparently to the British press? Who truth be told make the British sound like the most xenophobic and least culturally competent people on the planet… smh