,type=downsize)
Prince Harry —and the rest of the British royal family—got the animated treatment in HBO Max’s new satire series, The Prince. Orlando Bloom voices the Duke of Sussex in the comedy, which premiered July 29. The trailer shows Meghan Markle and Harry in an apartment in Los Angeles. “This might be the smallest palace I’ve ever been in,” Orlando says as Harry.
Condola Rashad, who is the voice behind the Duchess of Sussex, replies, “Well, it’s an apartment.” “Yes, an apartment palace. I know that. Lots of tiny palaces inside one big palace,” the animated Duke responds.
In real-life, Harry and Meghan reside in a multimillion-dollar estate in Montecito, California—and, funny enough, Orlando lives just down the road. On the Armchair Expert podcast earlier this year, Prince William’s younger brother revealed that he and the Pirates of the Caribbean star keep in touch because of the paparazzi.
“Just two days ago, Orlando Bloom sent me a message, because he’s just down the road and we sort of keep in contact because of the paparazzi,” Harry said (via E! ). “He sent me a photograph which his security got of this long-haired guy with a beanie on, with his ear pods in, with his massive camera lying in the back of his 4x4 truck. A woman driving who did the peace sign sitting there as a distraction, and he is laid down in the back of this truck taking photographs of them out with their kid and whoever else is in that area.”
Last year, Orlando told The Hollywood Reporter that his fiancée Katy Perry encouraged him to play Harry in the animated series created by Gary Janetti. “Initially, I was like, ‘Hmm, how do I feel about this,’ because I’m a British boy who’s very proud of my roots. I understand how the royal family is loved by some and loathed by others, and I’ve always understood it as part of my heritage and background,” he shared.
© Getty ImagesThe actor added, “I’m not someone who wants to poke fun at anyone normally, but this was so clever, witty and affectionately done. Actually Katy saw one bit of it and was like, ‘You’ve got to do this. This is genius.’ And the animation is done by some of the guys who did Family Guy, so it’s going to be very amusing. And who doesn’t love the royal family?”
Orlando hadn’t met Harry until after he agreed to the show. “I hadn’t met him when I signed up to do it, and I subsequently met him and he’s such a nice guy. This guy is so nice, and I think he’s got a great sense of humor. I hope he maintains that through this because they’re sort of on a pedestal,” The Prince actor said. “We’re showing real adoration to them in one form or another. I try to justify it, because quite frankly, if I’m honest, it’s not like me to poke fun at anyone but it is done with affection. When I was in my mid-20s, there was so may different people poking fun at me and, in a way, it’s a sign of appreciation.”
