It was supposed to be a friendly, funny night — but what unfolded on stage left Prince Harry visibly rattled and the audience howling. During a live interview event in Los Angeles this week, comedian Hasan Minhaj didn’t hold back, taking savage aim at the Duke of Sussex in a moment now being called “the roast heard round the world.”

The exchange started off light enough. Harry, appearing as a guest to discuss leadership, mental health, and his work with the Invictus Games, was all smiles as Hasan cracked gentle jokes about royal life. But things took a sharp turn when the comedian decided to imitate Harry’s accent — and the audience lost it.

“Bro, you sound like a British GPS that’s lost signal halfway through,” Hasan quipped, earning thunderous laughter. Harry chuckled nervously at first, but as the bit continued — mocking his “half-American, half-royal” voice — the Duke’s smile began to fade.

The awkwardness was impossible to miss. Clips from the event have already gone viral across X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok, where users are calling it “the most uncomfortable royal moment since Meghan’s Ellen interview.” One viewer commented, “Hasan just said what everyone’s been thinking — Harry’s accent doesn’t even know what country it’s from.”

According to audience members, Meghan Markle — seated backstage with aides — looked tense as the jokes kept coming. “You could tell she wasn’t laughing,” one attendee told The Sun. “Harry tried to play along, but the moment Hasan called him ‘the world’s most confused American,’ it was over. The crowd roared, and Harry looked mortified.”

Minhaj then twisted the knife with a tongue-in-cheek jab at Harry’s move to California. “You left the Royal Family for privacy,” Hasan said, “and now you’re doing Netflix, Spotify, and Oprah? My guy, you’re one TikTok dance away from becoming an influencer!” The punchline earned the loudest reaction of the night — while Harry sat frozen, managing only a strained grin.

PR experts were quick to weigh in, calling it another disastrous moment for the Sussex brand. “Harry and Meghan keep trying to reinvent themselves as approachable and relatable, but it keeps backfiring,” said celebrity strategist Lina Madsen. “They put themselves in situations meant to humanize them, but end up looking awkward and out of touch. Hasan just exposed that gap — and did it on camera.”

Social media reaction was brutal. Memes of Harry’s expression flooded timelines within hours, with captions like “When the joke hits too close to Buckingham Palace” and “Royal roast, American edition.” One viral post read: “You can take the prince out of the palace, but not out of the punchline.”

This incident comes at a delicate time for the Sussexes, who have been trying to rebuild their public image after several PR setbacks — including the collapse of their Spotify deal and dwindling interest in their Netflix content. Meghan has reportedly been planning a “new media venture,” while Harry focuses on charity work and speaking engagements.

But royal insiders say this latest embarrassment won’t help. “Harry’s team thought appearing with a sharp, witty comedian would make him look more relaxed and self-aware,” one source explained. “Instead, it highlighted how uncomfortable he is being laughed at — and how little he can take a joke.”

By the time the event ended, Harry’s attempts to regain control of the conversation had fallen flat. “He thanked Hasan for the ‘spirited conversation,’ but everyone knew he was fuming inside,” said an eyewitness.

Whether or not Hasan Minhaj will face backlash remains to be seen, but for now, royal watchers agree on one thing — it’s another headline the Sussexes definitely didn’t need.

As one fan put it perfectly online: “You can survive palace drama, but no one survives a live comedy roast.”