Prince Harry popped up on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and instantly grabbed attention by blending holiday humor with a cheeky little swipe that viewers quickly connected to Donald Trump. The Duke of Sussex appeared in a sketch poking fun at Hallmark Christmas movies, the feel-good holiday films Americans love to binge-watch every December. Harry played along with the idea of being cast as some festive prince, but slipped in a line that got people buzzing.
He strolled onto the stage mid monologue to a standing ovation and joked that he had wandered in thinking it was an audition for a Hallmark Christmas role. He said, “I genuinely thought this was the audition for the Gingerbread Prince Saves Christmas in Nebraska.” The audience loved it, and Colbert jumped right into the banter.
The two went back and forth about why Harry of all people would want to star in a Hallmark movie. Harry said, “Well, you Americans are obsessed with Christmas movies, and you’re clearly obsessed with royalty, so why not? … I heard you elected a king?” That last line set off plenty of reactions online. Some viewers took it as a playful jab aimed at Trump, especially because of the No Kings protests that took place earlier this year.
Those protests were held across several cities as a response to what demonstrators said was authoritarianism and corruption in the Trump administration. Protesters carried signs that read “No Kings Since 1776” a reminder of the year the United States declared independence from the British monarchy. Some critics had referred to Trump as acting like a king, and the phrase stuck long enough to make headlines.
Trump was asked about the protests and pushed back hard at the comparison. According to The Guardian, he said he was “not a king at all” and insisted, “I’m not a king. I work my a** off to make our country great. That’s all it is. I’m not a king at all. The demonstrations were very small, very ineffective, and the people were whacked out. When you look at those people, they are not representative of the people of our country.”
So when Harry joked about Americans electing a king, viewers immediately connected the dots. The moment was lighthearted in tone, but the timing and wording made it feel like a well-placed jab. That is what keeps people talking about Harry whenever he appears on an American show. He has a way of dropping a line that feels funny on the surface but carries a little extra energy underneath.
The entire sketch played into the idea of Hallmark movies being over-the-top sweet, predictable, and full of romantic clichés. Harry leaned right into it and seemed to enjoy poking fun not only at the genre but at himself, too. His appearance was brief but memorable, and fans flooded social media with clips from the episode.
In classic Harry fashion, he managed to blend humor, self-awareness, and a touch of mischief in one moment. Whether he meant the line as a direct jab or just a playful tease, it definitely did not go unnoticed.
