Duke was set to host Saturday Night Live

THE Duke of Sussex hoped to host and was “really serious about doing it” before talks stalled at the 11th hour, it has been claimed.

The Duke was said to be keen to host the longrunning US sketch show as part of the publicity blitz surrounding the publication of his memoir, Spare.

A well-placed source told the New York Post’s Page Six column: “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.”

Another industry source said: “There’s always lots of names in the mix, but Harry was definitely a name being discussed.”

Lorne Michaels, Saturday Night Live’s executive producer, is said to remain keen to have the Duke on the show, with sources suggesting he could appear in a sketch rather than as host.

The comedy show has a long history of mocking the Royal family. Cast member Fred Armisen famously played Queen Elizabeth II as a Cockney mob boss, while fellow comedian Martin Short appeared in a 2012 sketch set at the Princess of Wales’s first ante-natal appointment.

Last weekend, the show targeted the royals again when cast members played two British rappers and former Eton schoolmates called Milly Pounds and Shirty.

Co-host Michael Che asked the pair: “So, guys, what’s going on with the Royal family? Can you give us an update?”

Austin Johnson, as 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, all right. We know what really goes down. We’ve known Harry since our days at Eton.”

Devon Walker, as Shirty, went on: “Harry and Meghan, Ronald Reagan, interracial dating, Queen said, ‘Not today, Satan.’”

In 2021, the Duchess of Sussex took part in a prank segment on the Ellen show.

A spokesman for the Duke has not yet responded to a request for comment.