Donald Trump has expressed satisfaction over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returning to Britain, remarking that the royal family should not have accepted the couple back into the country. The former US president took aim at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following their decision to depart the United States and return to their home in the United Kingdom.
The comments come as Harry and Meghan resettle in Britain alongside their two children, Archie and Lilibet. Their move back across the Atlantic occurs six years after they officially stepped back from their roles as working members of the British royal family.
Trump has repeatedly made clear over recent years that he holds little warmth for the couple. His latest public remarks represent the continuation of a long-standing friction between the American politician and the royal pair.
Prince Harry is the younger son of King Charles III, while Meghan Markle gained prominent public recognition as an American actress starring in the television drama series Suits before the couple married at Windsor Castle in 2018. The British royal family performs extensive public, ceremonial, and charitable duties across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
Public tension during election campaign
Public friction between Trump and Meghan began prior to her marriage into the royal family. During the 2016 US presidential election campaign, the former actress publicly criticized Trump and stated that she might relocate to Canada if he won the presidency.
Three years later, in 2019, as Trump prepared for an official state visit to Britain, he was asked about the comments Meghan had made regarding his candidacy. Trump described her statements as nasty, though he later clarified that he was referring specifically to the tone of her remarks rather than making a personal characterization of Meghan herself.
State visits to the United Kingdom are formal occasions where visiting heads of state are hosted by the British monarch at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, involving ceremonial pageantry and official banquets.
Intervention in the presidential vote
Tensions surfaced again in September 2020 after Harry and Meghan had established their residency in the United States. Trump was asked to respond to a video message released by the couple concerning the upcoming American presidential election.
In the video, the Duke and Duchess urged American citizens to participate in the vote. Harry spoke on the necessity of rejecting hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity, while Meghan emphasized the vital importance of the election. Asked about their statement, Trump said he was not a fan of Meghan and added that she had likely heard that already, before wishing Harry good luck and noting that the prince would need it.
Trump made those remarks just months after the couple had formally ceased acting as working members of the royal institution.
Dispute regarding police protection funding
Earlier that same year, in March 2020, Trump initiated another disagreement regarding the couple's personal security arrangements. Following their move from Canada to the United States, Trump publicly stated that the US government would not cover the cost of their police protection.
Posting on the social media platform Twitter, Trump insisted that the couple must pay for their own protection costs rather than relying on American taxpayers. A spokesperson for the Sussexes subsequently clarified that the couple had never requested financial support from the US government and had already arranged private security independently.
Royal security arrangements typically involve specialized protection officers from law enforcement agencies, and the allocation of public funds for foreign dignitaries remains a subject of regulatory oversight in both Britain and the United States. Twitter, the social platform where Trump published his statement, was subsequently renamed X following its acquisition by business leader Elon Musk.
