Accent Softening in Action: Lessons from Prince Harry’s Transatlantic Transition

Prince Harry’s speech patterns have subtly shifted since moving to the US with his American wife Meghan Markle

Last weekend, I was in the Sunday Telegraph doing some (ex-) royal watching: that paper ran a story about whether King Charles' second son’s accent has become more American since resettling in California with his wife Meghan Markle and family.

My take on it?

Yes and no.

This is a favourite theme in the British and American press: flattered as I am to be asked for my expert opinion on this important matter, I think I might be the only accent reduction coach or ‘linguistics expert’ in the British-English-speaking world who hasn’t commented on the Prince’s transatlantic vowels for a national newspaper or magazine (examples, here, here, and here going back years!)

The conversation has been revived by a recently released video clip on Instagram showing Harry "getting a tattoo" from US rapper Jelly Roll as part of the promotional drive for the Invictus Games in Vancouver next year.

Prince Harry and US rapper Jelly Roll promoting the Invictus Games on Instagram

Is Prince Harry Picking Up an American Accent?

Not really.

There are a couple of moments when I’m hearing pronunciations I’d expect to hear from Americans: at the end of the video when he wails “Are you SERIOUS??” the upward swoop of his intonation towards that question mark is very American, as is the hard "r" of “serious.”

I could close my eyes and almost think I was watching Mr Beast. (Google him: if you haven’t heard of Mr Beast, you must not have YouTube-addicted children.)

YouTube megastar Mr Beast has accent common among young white Americans

American accent or American expressions?

Beyond these subtle inflections, I think most of what commentators ascribe to “accent” has more to do with dialect and idiom: the words we use, rather than how they sound.

Expressions like “screw it,” “awesome,” and “any time soon” are distinctively American, and of course, it’s somewhat surreal for a British person like me to hear a Windsor talking like a Kardashian.

What Does This Have to Do with Accent Reduction?

What’s going on here? And how is it relevant to conversations about accent reduction, accent softening, and changing speech patterns?

It’s a case of “when in Rome…”

Having moved to a new country and being around people who speak differently, I think Prince Harry is doing what many of us do—consciously or unconsciously—in order to feel more comfortable and make others feel more comfortable.

He’s mirroring.

We all (nearly all) do it.

Mirroring: very common social behaviour, especially among digital AI-generated humans

Have you ever been for a beer or a coffee with friends, and without meaning to, you all take a sip of your drink at the same time?

When we’re feeling relaxed and open, we pick up on subtle cues and match or mirror what the people around us are doing. It helps us all feel like we belong.

In social situations, we see this all the time, don’t we? It applies to all kinds of behaviour: word choices, body language, gestures.

So when Harry uses the same vocabulary as his American wife and his new friends and business associates, he’s trying to put everyone, including himself, more at ease.

As I state in the Telegraph article, his earlier life as a public member of the Royal Family will have required him to hone this particular social skill. Long walkabouts, making conversation with thousands of strangers, and being duty-bound to make a good impression on all of them—one’s manners need to be impeccable.

The Line Between Accent Softening and Imitation

But you can take it too far.

Where is the line between softening your accent and faking a new accent?

As soon as it starts to feel like you’re fully mimicking others, borrowing their accent and identity like you would an umbrella—that’s when it feels dishonest and makes those others feel patronised.

Accent mimick: George Osborne

The former British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, was frequently mocked in the press for adopting a more working-class “Estuary English” sound when he met with manual workers for political photo opportunities.

This is the big fear of all the people I work with on accent reduction and accent softening.

They’re worried they’ll come across as fake. And people are very good at spotting when an interloper is trying to fake their accent (spoiler: people in the south of England are not all that good at spotting accent fakes).

Not only that, they worry that they’ll feel fake, like they’re not being true to themselves.

They’re proud of their background and where they come from. But they don’t necessarily want to be defined by their background—by the sound they make when they speak.

Accent Reduction Is About Confidence

Prince Harry is in the same position, really.

It would be tough to “get rid” of his accent even if he wanted to. He can’t erase his past and who he is—like any globally famous person, he brings all of that into every room he’s ever in.

To try to pretend he is not who he is, by adopting a full-on Californian drawl, would fool nobody.

At the same time, subtle changes to the words he uses, the way he pronounces this “r” or that “ing,” might raise eyebrows in the British press (and provide plenty of work for accent-watchers like me). But they will make that integration into a new life and environment a little bit easier and make him feel more comfortable in his new setting.

That’s what accent reduction classes are about: making subtle changes that will ultimately make you more confident when speaking in meetings, presentations, conferences…any situation where you feel like it’s your accent that makes you stand out, rather than what you actually have to say.

Accelerate the Process of Softening Your Accent

Mirroring other people’s accents might come naturally to some, but not others. And it’s also quite a gradual process.

Taking some accent lessons with me can speed things up. So, if Prince Harry’s situation sounds a bit like yours, book a free 1-hour taster session with me. If you like the way I work, we’ll get you sounding how you want to sound and feeling how you want to feel sooner than “someday.”