Live from New York … it’s Prince Harry!
The renegade royal was in talks last year to host “Saturday Night Live,” multiple sources told Page Six.
Producers on the long-running NBC show were in discussions with Harry in the run-up to the January release of his memoir, “Spare,” but talks stalled at the 11th hour.
One well-placed TV source told us: “I know that Harry was all in, he was really serious about doing it — and it would have been great fun as promo for the book.
“‘SNL’ producers have been after Harry for a while. Everyone on the show was really into the idea, and people would definitely have tuned in.”
Another industry insider confirmed the talks, adding: “There’s always lots of names in the mix, but Harry was definitely a name being discussed.”
It’s not known why the hosting gig didn’t work out, but Harry ended up doing American TV interviews for his book, including appearances on CBS’ “60 Minutes” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
Sources told Page Six that “SNL” exec producer Lorne Michaels still loves the thought of having Harry, 38, on the show, although the insider mused: “I could also see Harry coming on as a surprise in a sketch.”
Reps for Harry and “SNL” did not returns requests for comment.
“SNL” has a long history of mocking the royal family. Fred Armisen often played the late Queen Elizabeth as a cockney mob boss, alongside Bill Hader as Prince Philip, while Martin Short appeared in a 2012 sketch set at Princess Kate’s first OB-GYN appointment.
This past Saturday night, the show poked fun at Harry and the royals again when James Austin Johnson and Devon Walker played two “British rappers” and former Eton schoolmates, named “Milly Pounds” and “Shirty,” on “Weekend Update.”
Michael Che asked the pair: “So, guys, what’s going on with the royal family? Can you give us an update?”
Austin, as “Milly Pounds,” said: “Right, right, OK, listen, mate. OK, all the focus is on the royals, right, when it should be on Britain’s exploitative tabloid press. It’s pants, mate. Rubbish. Pants.”
He added: “They’re mean to our boy Harry, alright. We know what really goes down. We’ve known Harry since our days at Eton.”
Austin then began to rap: “Prince Harry, Prince Harry, stayed over at Tyler Perry’s. Press cold like Ben and Jerry’s. I’m allergic to dairy.”
Walker, as “Shirty,” continued: “Harry and Meghan, Ronald Reagan, interracial dating, Queen said, ‘Not today, Satan.'”
Harry’s wife, former “Suits” star Meghan Markle, showed off her own comedy chops on the “Ellen” show back in November 2021 when she took part in a prank segment.
Sales of the controversial “Spare” — in which Harry speaks out about his brother, Prince William, as well as Princess Kate, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla — are now more than 3.2 million worldwide.
It is also the fastest-selling non-fiction book of all time, according to the Guinness World Records, after shifting 1.43 million copies during its first day on sale in the UK, US and Canada — beating President Barack Obama’s 2020 book, “A Promised Land.”
