Prince Harry's Latest Video Has Royal Fans Asking the Same Thing: ‘Is This Real?’
A new video of Prince Harry riding the waves in California has gone viral online, leaving netizens in disbelief over whether it's real. The Duke of Sussex, 41, was filmed surfing alongside professional surfer and coach Raimana Van Bastolaer. The video, shared on Instagram, shows Harry confidently riding a powerful wave. In the footage, he is seen wearing a black wetsuit and crouching low on a white surfboard as he navigates a six-foot barrelling wave with notable control. The clips are believed to have been filmed at Kelly Slater’s famed Surf Ranch in Lemoore, central California, as per The Daily Mail.
The Surf Ranch wave in the video is no ordinary swell. It is a man-made, first-of-its-kind wave that barrels for up to 2,300 feet and has been dubbed the best artificial wave in the world. It remains the only artificial wave to receive World Surf League accreditation, making it suitable for elite-level competition. Some viewers appeared genuinely surprised to see the Duke of Sussex in the footage, with one fan remarking, almost in disbelief, “Is that Prince Harry that’s wild,” while another praised his agility, writing, “Wow, the Prince has skills.” Others, however, questioned the authenticity of the clip altogether, pointing to how polished and surreal it appeared. “Looks like AI. Is this real? Love it though,” one commenter wrote, while another observed, “Harry really in Cali living his best life. Good for him!”
The doubts only grew as more technically minded viewers scrutinized the footage frame by frame. One user questioned the visuals, asking, “Looks like AI. Why does your board slice through his legs when you bail out??” Another echoed the suspicion, saying, “Someone please tell me this isn’t AI?”
But Harry’s love for surfing is not new. Since relocating to California, he is believed to have struck up a close friendship with Van Bastolaer, a Tahitian surfer best known for his big-wave exploits. An earlier clip shared by Bastolaer shows a jet ski pacing alongside Harry as he rides through sunlit water, baseball cap pulled low. Another angle captures Van Bastolaer surfing nearby, briefly dropping to his knees to place a guiding hand on Harry’s lower back.
Last year, Van Bastolaer also shared — and later deleted — an image of Harry with his son Prince Archie, who is following in his father's footsteps, then five, taken at the same surf ranch. The photo showed Harry in a wetsuit alongside Archie on a jet ski. While the image was removed, the coach left other photos in the reel, including shots of Harry riding waves and posing with his board. He captioned the same: “Don't hate, but be happy and keep smiling. Brother Harry, let's go for 2025!”
Earlier, Meghan Markle also shared an adorable video in support of her husband surfing, captioning the 18-second video on her Instagram: “We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this important message,” while setting the video to the tune of Whatta Man by Salt-N-Pepa.