Love him or hate him, it looks like Prince Harry is here to stay. After a long and tense legal battle, a federal judge ruled on March 18, 2025, that the Duke of Sussex followed “all applicable rules and regulations” (per Daily Mail) when he applied for U.S. residency in 2020. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington institute, had filed the lawsuit out of suspicion the prince had fraudulently lied about his past drug use on the application, which might have put his immigration status in jeopardy. It was just one more round of ammunition in the heated feud between Harry and President Donald Trump, though the president seems to have softened a bit since taking office again. In February, Trump reversed his stance on deporting Harry, saving his jabs for Meghan Markle instead. “I’ll leave him alone,” he told the New York Post. “He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.”

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Harry’s big brother William, Prince of Wales, should be equally pleased with the news. The two are still reportedly not on speaking terms over a number of issues, including the Sussexes’ “Megxit” from their royal duties and, especially, Harry’s memoir “Spare.” But the brotherly tension dates back much farther, according to the book. Harry claims there was always a rivalry between them, with William reportedly jealous when Harry got a privilege or option he couldn’t have (such as serving in a combat zone). Having Harry sent back to the U.K. would surely have sent the palace into panic mode.

Now that the British royals are resuming a normal life following the health crises of Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, and King Charles III, they may be able to devote more attention to repairing relations with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (or Meghan Sussex, as she referred to herself on her new Netflix series). Reports vary about the status of the long-drawn drama. Some royal insiders claim the king is anxious for his sons to reconcile so he can enjoy his final years with both their families; others say Charles is waiting for assurances that Harry will stop publicly complaining about his life in the palace. 

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The court decision allowing the younger prince to stay in California also means he doesn’t have to worry about being deported, which would have been an additional embarrassment both for him and his father. The monarch has already lived through plenty of humiliations in his seven-plus-decade life: some of his own making (his affair with now-Queen Camilla) and some by association (the disgrace surrounding Prince Andrew). A family truce would be far more complicated if Harry were scrambling to find a new home back across the pond (remember, Uncle Andy now lives in his former estate) and trying to figure out the logistics surrounding Meghan and their two children. 

The Heritage Foundation hasn’t yet given up the fight to prove Harry is in America illegally. A representative told the Daily Mail they still intend to push for the release of the full visa files, including information that was redacted to protect the prince’s privacy. But without President Trump’s support, the chance of Harry getting booted out of Montecito seems even smaller than his odds of making nice with his big brother.

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