US President Donald Trump has criticised Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, over their treatment of the British Royal Family, saying he would not have welcomed them back if he were a member of the monarchy.
Trump made the remarks on Wednesday while responding to questions from reporters at the White House about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s recent return to Britain after spending about six years in the United States.
“I’m happy about it. I was not a fan,” Trump said, referring to their departure from the US.
The president said he had enjoyed a close relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II and maintained a good relationship with King Charles III.
“I had a very good relationship with the Queen, really good. I got to know her very well—a really good relationship with King Charles,” Trump said, describing the King as “a great guy.”
Trump, however, accused Harry and Meghan of showing “great disrespect” to the Royal Family, singling out Meghan for particular criticism.
“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the way she acted. I thought she was terribly disrespectful to the Queen, to King Charles,” he said.
Trump then offered his own view on the Sussexes’ return to Britain.
“I don’t know, maybe I’m different. I wouldn’t have taken them back. Frankly, if I were the Royal Family, I wouldn’t have taken them back,” he said.
Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as senior working royals in 2020 and subsequently moved to California, where they pursued independent media and commercial projects.
Their recent return to Britain with their children has been described as an extended stay rather than a formal resumption of royal duties. The couple remain non-working members of the Royal Family.
Trump’s latest comments add to his longstanding criticism of Meghan, whom he has previously publicly attacked over her remarks about him and his political career.