The Duke of Sussex has adapted his accent to ‘fit in better and be liked’ now that he’s settled in California with Meghan Markle, a speech expert has said.

Prince Harry, 36, was heard dropping Ts and using American terms as he appeared on Dax Shepherd’s ‘Armchair Expert’ podcast to promote his new TV series with Oprah Winfrey.

Communications experts have suggested the Duke has done this to adapt to the culture around him and form closer ties with people he’s speaking to.

Emma Serlin, founder of the London Speech Workshop, suggested Harry’s softened accent and use of Americanisms, such as ‘highway’, show he’s more driven to ‘connect’ and ‘fit in’ than he is to keep hold of his culture.

She told Femail: ‘When we adjust our accents to make people feel comfortable, it’s a way of reaching out and saying “I’m like you.” It’s about being accessible.

‘When you move to a different place, you have options, you can keep hold of every element of your first cultural identity, and refuse to adapt either your accent or language, and this could be seen as being particularly entrenched and even stubborn.

‘The other option is to adjust, show willingness to adapt, and Harry shows he’s willing to give up elements of his culture to fit into a different one.’

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Communications coach and broadcaster Jon Briggs said the Duke saying things like ‘gotta’, ‘coulda’, and ‘wanna’ is a way of saying ‘I’m just like you and I’m fitting in with you’.

During his chat with Dax Shepherd, Harry discussed his mental health, growing up with privilege, unconscious bias and his time in the military service.

He compared his life in the Royal Family to being ‘in a zoo’ and ‘The Truman Show’ — the 1998 film in which Jim Carey plays a man who is unaware his entire life is a TV show being watched by millions.

When asked if he felt he was ‘in a cage’ during his time at the palace, he said: ‘It’s the job right? Grin and bear it. Get on with it.

‘I was in my early twenties and I was thinking I don’t want this job, I don’t want to be here.

‘I don’t want to be doing this. Look what it did to my mum, how am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and family when I know it’s going to happen again’.

‘I’ve seen behind the curtain, I’ve seen the business model and seen how this whole thing works and I don’t want to be part of this’.

He then revealed that he had therapy after meeting Meghan, which ‘burst’ a bubble and helped him get his head ‘out of the sand’.

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