American Pie’ singer criticizes Prince Harry for his comment on Elvis’ house, saying he doesn’t understand America

Legendary “American Pie” singer Don McLean had some words of criticism for Prince Harry after the former working royal family member criticized Elvis Presley’s former residence in his 2023 memoir, “Spare.”

“Dark, claustrophobic. I walked around saying, ‘The King lived here, you say? Really?’” the Duke of Sussex wrote after visiting Graceland in Memphis.

Harry said he stood “in one tiny room with loud furniture and shag carpet and thought, ‘The King’s interior designer must have been on acid.’”

When the memoir first came out, McLean expressed his outrage on X. “Prince Harry should shut his mouth about Graceland and Elvis. He is a hot house orchid, a show horse who never did a thing,” he wrote at the time.

The musician just expanded on those thoughts in a new interview, telling The Daily Mail, “[Prince Harry] doesn’t understand that Elvis is like the poor man’s king. He came from nowhere and his recordings are among the greatest ever made.”

“His family were as poor as they could be and Harry criticized Elvis’s home as if he’s comparing it to Buckingham Palace, and that misses the point completely,” McLean added. “Here’s a fellow who has been brought up to be mannerly, but you don’t criticize America when you’re living here as our guest.”

“He just doesn’t get America,” the singer-songwriter added.

Despite performing one of the most well-known and hotly debated songs of the 20th century, which McLean still receives six-figure royalty checks for, the 78-year-old performer is still making music. He just released a new album, “American Boys.”

He also told The Daily Mail that while he “never [has] to work again,” he’ll still perform shows as long as it’s not a lengthy tour. “I’ll go over for two or three shows. I love the British audience,” he told the outlet.

McLean also said he’s living comfortably. When asked if his estimated net worth of $40 million was accurate, the musician replied, “That figure is very low. It’s actually more than double that.”

He added, “I own my records, books, trademarks, everything. And I’m a bond investor so I could use the money I’m worth and make probably a billion dollars; but the way I feel, I’ve been so lucky to make the money I’ve made that I’m really happy where I am.”

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