Music legend Don McLean is slamming Prince Harry once again, saying the British royal doesn’t understand what it’s like to be an American even after moving to Montecito, California, with wife Meghan Markle and their two kids. The “American Pie” artist, 78, spoke out against the Duke of Sussex in an interview with the Daily Mail on Saturday, accusing Harry of speaking out of turn about Elvis Presley’s Graceland.
“You don’t criticize America when you’re living here as our guest,” McLean told the outlet, referring to the passage in Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare in which the prince referred to the mansion as “dark” and “claustrophobic.” Harry wrote in his book, “I walked around saying ‘the King lived here, you say? Really?’ I stood in one tiny room with loud furniture and shag carpet and thought ‘the King’s interior designer must’ve been on acid.'”
McLean thinks that the royal, who came to live in the U.S. in 2020, was being disrespectful of American culture. “His family were as poor as they could be and Harry criticized Elvis’s home as if he’s comparing it to Buckingham Palace, and that misses the point completely,” McLean said. “He doesn’t understand that Elvis is like the poor man’s king. He came from nowhere and his recordings are among the greatest ever made. … He [Prince Harry] just doesn’t get America.”
McLean first lashed out at Harry last year when the memoir first published, tweeting, “Harry should shut his mouth about Graceland and Elvis. He is a hot house orchid, a show horse who never did a thing.'”
Despite McLean’s issues with the prince, Harry revealed in February of this year that he has found living in the U.S. “amazing,” telling Good Morning America at the time, “I love every single day.” When it comes to his next step stateside, the royal said he had briefly considered getting his American citizenship. “I have no idea,” he answered asked what would stop him from doing so. “The American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but certainly is not something that is a high priority for me right now.”
Harry and Meghan’s children – Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 2 – are doing “great” in the States and are “growing up very, very fast,” he added. “They both have got an incredible sense of humor and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. I’m just very grateful to be a dad.”