Prince Harry 'almost hosted Saturday Night Live' and bosses still keen to have him on

Prince Harry almost followed in the footsteps of Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton, with the royal reportedly in the running to host popular US sketch show Saturday Night Live.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, is said to have been in talks with producers on the long-running NBC show to host an episode in the run-up to the release of his new memoir Spare.

However, the discussions are said to have fallen through at the last minute. It remains unclear why Harry's hosting gig didn't work out.

One source close to the show said Harry had been "all in" and was "really serious" about hosting Saturday Night Live.

"It would have been great fun as promo for the book.

Prince Harry almost made it onto Saturday Night Live (Getty Images)

He was due to appear ahead of the release of his memoir (AFP via Getty Images)

"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," they said.

Another insider told PageSix : "There’s always lots of names in the mix, but Harry was definitely a name being discussed."

Sources told the publication that Saturday Night Live's executive producer Lorne Michaels still loves the idea of inviting Harry onto the show.

The Mirror has approached Saturday Night Live and Prince Harry's representatives for comment.

The Duke of Sussex could still make an appearance on the show (Getty Images)

Despite not making it onto Saturday Night Live, Harry did make a number of TV appearances ahead of the release of his tell-all memoir, including interviews on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and 60 Minutes.

Saturday Night Live has often mocked the Royal Family.

In the latest episode, James Austin Johnson and Devon Walker played two "British rappers" and former Eton schoolmates called Milly Pounds and Shirty.

Host Michael Che asked the pair: "So, guys, what’s going on with the royal family? Can you give us an update?"

James, who played 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, all right. We know what really goes down. We’ve known Harry since our days at Eton."

The comedian then started to rap: "Prince Harry, Prince Harry, stayed over at Tyler Perry’s. Press cold like Ben and Jerry’s. I’m allergic to dairy."

Devon added: "Harry and Meghan, Ronald Reagan, interracial dating, Queen said, 'Not today, Satan'."

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