Pricne Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Saturday Night Live U.K. returned for its second season Saturday with a cold open taking direct aim at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's widely publicized move back to Britain, opening the show with a royal-family sketch built around jokes about the couple's finances and their Netflix production deal.

The sketch began with Larry Dean playing King Charles III and Emma Sidi playing Queen Camilla, relaxing together at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. "I do love our weekends away. No responsibilities, just like every other day," Camilla says at the start of the scene.

Harry and Meghan crash the royal getaway

The couple's quiet retreat is interrupted by the arrival of Harry, played by Jack Shep, and Meghan, played by Ayoade Bamgboye. Much of the sketch centers on the pair sharing a prolonged, affectionate embrace, much to the visible irritation of King Charles. "Daddy, I'm home," Harry says as the two arrive.

"What do you two want?" Charles asks, clearly unhappy to see them. "Don't tell me you've spent that Netflix money already."

Harry's response became one of the sketch's most-quoted lines, though outlets reported the figure differently. Some accounts, including Deadline and Bleeding Cool, quoted Harry as saying, "It was $60 million. How long was it meant to last?" Other outlets, including Variety and several syndicated reports, quoted the figure as $16 million. Variety itself flagged the inconsistency, noting that the dollar amount differed between accounts of the same exchange.

Charles continues to press the point, delivering one of the sketch's sharper lines: "What a waste you've become, you're lucky your father is not around to see this," a jab that reportedly drew a strong reaction from the studio audience.

Meghan's lifestyle brand gets its own dig

The sketch also turned its attention to Meghan's business ventures, referencing her Netflix lifestyle series and consumer product line. In the scene, Meghan presents Camilla with an ice tray as a gift. "I made it myself," she says. "I can give you the recipe. I'm a whizz in the kitchen." Harry adds a line undercutting the moment, telling Camilla, "She hires the best chefs."

A new prime minister crashes the scene

The sketch also introduced George Fouracres in a new role as fictional U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, arriving mid-scene wearing his character's signature yellow Manchester badge. Fouracres previously drew acclaim on the show for his portrayal of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and his debut as the Burnham character continued the show's pattern of using its cold opens to satirize current U.K. political figures alongside the royal family storyline.

"I'm the new PM. And I'm nothing like the last one," Fouracres' character announces, before launching into a set of jokes referencing Burnham's policy agenda over the summer and his efforts to appear relatable despite holding high office. The bit closed with the character declaring, "I will buy everybody a pint, because I want you to like me. I need you to like me," a line mocking his character's eagerness to be liked by the public.

A premiere hosted by Jeff Goldblum

Saturday's episode marked the Season 2 premiere of SNL U.K., which aired on Sky, and was hosted by actor Jeff Goldblum, who opened the broadcast with a musical number about spending time in London. The returning cast for the new season includes Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi, Paddy Young and Freddie Meredith.

Coverage of the premiere noted that the show's producers had a wide array of material to draw from heading into the new season, given the extended summer news cycle surrounding Harry and Meghan's relocation, which had already generated substantial tabloid and mainstream media coverage in the U.K. and internationally in the months before the episode aired.

Real-world context behind the joke

The sketch's premise draws directly from real developments this year involving the couple's move back to permanent residence in the United Kingdom, following nearly six years primarily based in California after they stepped back from royal duties in 2020. That return has been accompanied by public reporting on the couple's finances, their production deal with Netflix, and renewed tension with the royal family, including a recent letter from Buckingham Parlace reaffirming that Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the royal family, described in that correspondence as "private citizens."

Sources cited by entertainment outlets covering the couple's relocation have offered competing explanations for the timing of the move, with some pointing to financial considerations and others describing a desire to be closer to Harry's father and to repair strained family relationships.

SNL U.K.'s second season is scheduled to continue with new episodes in the coming weeks, with comedian and presenter Amelia Dimoldenberg set to host the following episode on Sept. 26, joined by musical guest Rachel Chinouriri. The show's cold-open format, mirroring the long-running U.S. version of Saturday Night Live, has continued to lean heavily on current events and public figures for its opening sketches, with Saturday's premiere continuing that pattern by using the summer's biggest royal-family storyline as its season-launching target.

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