‘SNL UK’ Takes a Brutal Swipe at Harry for Marrying Meghan— and It’s Certainly Not Their First
'SNL' UK's subtle dig at Prince Harry's decision to marry Meghan Markle echoed the majority of public opinion at the time.
Another day, another sketch, and unsurprisingly, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle become the rear-end of a rather brutal joke. On March 28, Saturday Night Live UK's opening sketch took pointed swipes at several members of the royal family. While most of the skit focused on the scandals involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a subtle dig at Harry's decision to marry Markle also hit home. Cast member Hammed Animashaun joked about the Duchess being the center of attention in the UK at the time, echoing the divided public opinion.
In a 5-minute video posted on Saturday Night Live UK's YouTube channel, the cast managed to painstakingly roast several royals within the short time frame. At one point, Animashaun quipped that Harry was "going to marry a woman 98 per cent of the UK public will find it impossible to have a normal conversation about" in a dig at Markle, who catapulted into the British public's attention. The Duchess of Sussex was the topic of conversation for all the wrong reasons, often torn apart in the media for allegedly controlling her husband, bullying staff, and getting into spats with the royal family.
The swipe was part of a sketch featuring MI5 agents meeting with Mountbatten-Windsor, as the actor cops conducted a '29-year plan' to increase King Charles' popularity following the death of Princess Diana. The officers, portrayed by cast members Celeste Dring, Ayoade Bamgboye, and Animashaun, were revealing their plan to make other royals less likable, taking a jab at Harry, Markle, and Prince William in the process. The comedians also joked about Sarah Ferguson's unconventional post-divorce friendship with Mountbatten-Windsor. "The one thing that might help is if you stay by Andrew's side, live with him without explanation for the next 29 years," Animashaun quipped to fellow cast member Emma Sidi.
For those unversed, this isn't the first time that the live comedy sketch show has taken a brutal jab at Harry and Markle's expense. In a May 2025 episode of Saturday Night Live, during the Weekend Update sketch with Michael Che, host Colin Jost said, "President [Donald] Trump also announced a new trade deal with the UK that will reopen British markets for American companies," referring to the US-UK trade deal at the time. He then added, "All that Britain demands in return is that we keep these two," as a picture of the Sussexes popped up on the screen.
Recently, singer Harry Styles also joked about Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest during an episode of Saturday Night Live on March 14. During his opening monologue, he reflected on the attention he received while casually running in London, after temporarily stepping out of the spotlight. He remarked, "As a British man who spent a lot of his life in the public eye, I can assure you, there's something nice about being boring. It's better than the alternative." The screen then cut to a photo of the former Prince in the back of a police car after his infamous detention on February 19.
