Donald Trump Breaks His Silence on Prince Harry and Meghan's Return to the UK — And He Has a Strong Opinion About Meghan

Donald Trump has weighed in on Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex's return to Britain, initially saying he was happy about the move. But his remarks quickly turned into a pointed criticism of Meghan and the couple’s treatment of the royal family.

Trump was asked about the Sussexes during a question-and-answer session with reporters following a press conference with travel executives on Wednesday, according to The Guardian.

His response began with a brief expression of approval before he turned to his history with the royal family and what he believes Harry and Meghan got wrong.

Trump Says He Is Happy They Are Back

His initial response was simple — "I'm happy about it." But that was hardly the end of what the president had to say.

Trump explained that his feelings toward the royal family are quite different from his opinion of Harry and Meghan. He recalled having a very good relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II and said he had known King Charles III for many years.

Trump described the king as "a great, great guy" and contrasted that relationship with his view of how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have treated the monarchy.

Then Trump Turned His Attention to Meghan

Trump said he believed Harry and Meghan had "treated the royal family with great disrespect." He made clear that Meghan was particularly responsible, in his view, saying, "I didn't like the way she acted."

He went further, saying he believed she had been "terribly disrespectful" toward both the queen and king. The president then offered perhaps his most pointed assessment of the couple's return to Britain.

"If I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back."

His Royal Fascination with the Royal Family Goes Back Decades

Trump's strong feelings about the monarchy are not new. His admiration for the British royal family stretches back to childhood and is closely tied to his late mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump, who was born in Scotland.

"The United States and United Kingdom share a special relationship that is bolstered by President Trump’s family ties to Scotland," Anna Kelly, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, told Fox News Digital.

As The New York Times reported, Trump has frequently recalled watching Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation on television with his mother when he was 6 years old.

Trump adored the late queen, whom he described as a "great woman" who had "really never made a mistake" during her decades on the throne.

The memory became part of the story Trump tells about his mother's fascination with grandeur and spectacle. He even recounts the episode in his book The Art of the Deal, explaining how her reaction to the coronation helped shape his own attraction to "splendor and magnificence."

That lifelong admiration helps explain why Trump has generally spoken so warmly about the monarchy — even as his relationship with Harry and Meghan has been markedly different.

Meghan Criticized Trump Before She Joined the Royal Family

The tension between Trump and the duchess predates her marriage to the duke. In a 2016 television appearance, before she had joined the royal family, Meghan was asked about the presidential race and Trump's candidacy.

She described Trump as "divisive" and "misogynistic," while discussing the potential impact his candidacy could have on female voters. Meghan said, "Yes, of course, Trump is divisive. And think about just female voters alone, right? I mean, like, I think it was in 2012, the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points."

"That's a huge number. And with this misogynist, as Trump is, and so vocal about it, that's a huge chunk of it. You're not just voting for a woman if it's Hillary just because she's a woman, but certainly because Trump has made it easy to see that you don't really want that kind of world."

That criticism eventually came back into the conversation between the two.

Trump Called Meghan 'Nasty' in 2019

When Trump visited Britain in 2019, The Sun told him about Meghan's earlier comments. Trump said he had not known about them and responded, "I didn't know that. What can I say? I didn't know that she was nasty."

At the same time, Trump said he believed Meghan would make a great American princess and expressed concern about not seeing her during his state visit because she was on maternity leave following the birth of her son Archie.

The exchange later became a point of contention over exactly what Trump meant by "nasty."

Trump Later Denied Calling Her 'Nasty'

Days afterward, Trump addressed the controversy directly on X. In a June 2019 post, he denied that he had called Meghan "nasty" and accused the media of misrepresenting his remarks. He also challenged outlets including CNN and The New York Times to apologize.

A White House official subsequently told ABC News that the comment had been taken out of context. The official said Trump was referring to the fact that he had not previously known about Meghan's comments and noted that he had also spoken positively about her, including saying he thought she would do an excellent job.

Harry and Meghan's Move to America in 2020 Brought Another Trump Warning

When Harry and Meghan left Britain and eventually moved to the United States in 2020, Trump made his position clear on another issue. In a March 2020 post, he said he was a friend and admirer of Queen Elizabeth and the United Kingdom while making clear that the United States would not pay for Harry and Meghan's security.

Trump said the couple would have to pay for their own protection. Later that year, the dispute became personal again when reporters asked Trump about Harry and Meghan encouraging Americans to vote for Joe Biden.

Trump responded that he was "not a fan" of Meghan and wished Harry luck, adding that the prince was going to need it, as reported by The Hill.

Trump Once Predicted Harry and Meghan Would End Badly

By 2022, Trump was offering an even more blunt assessment of Harry and Meghan's relationship. During his interview with Piers Morgan, Trump said he was not a fan of Meghan and suggested Harry was being led around by her. He also called Harry an embarrassment.

The conversation turned toward the couple's decision to leave royal duties while retaining their titles and pursuing commercial opportunities. Trump agreed with Morgan's criticism that they could not simply abandon royal responsibilities while continuing to benefit financially from their royal status.

Trump then predicted that the relationship itself would eventually end. He said he wanted to see what would happen when Harry had enough of being bossed around, or Meghan decided she preferred someone else.

Asked directly whether he believed the relationship would end, Trump said, "I do. I've been a very good predictor, as you know; I predicted almost everything. It'll end, and it'll end bad, and I wonder if Harry's gonna go back on his hands and knees back into uh the beautiful city of London."

Then came one of Trump's most memorable descriptions of the prince. "Harry is whipped, do you know the expression?" After Morgan said he knew the phrase, Trump continued, "I won't use the full expression, but Harry is whipped like no person I think I've ever seen." Trump continued, I don't know that's going to be a big one, but he is a whipped man."

Harry Has Since Fired a Jab of His Own

The back-and-forth has not been entirely one-sided. During a 2025 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harry unexpectedly joined Stephen Colbert during the host's monologue. The segment revolved around Americans' fascination with Christmas movies and royalty.

Colbert rejected the suggestion that Americans were obsessed with royalty, prompting Harry to deliver a pointed punchline: "Really? I heard you elected a king." The remark was widely interpreted as a jab at Trump, who had referred to himself as a king in a Truth Social post earlier that year while discussing New York City congestion pricing.

Harry continued the joke by saying he would do almost anything to land a role in a Hallmark movie, including flying himself to an audition and settling a baseless lawsuit with the White House. When Colbert said he had never done any of those things, Harry shot back: "Maybe that's why you're canceled."

That line also carried a Trump-related sting, coming after CBS settled a lawsuit with Trump for $16 million and later canceled Colbert's show, a decision Colbert had publicly criticized.

Against that long history, Trump's latest comments carry considerably more weight than a passing reaction to Harry and Meghan's relocation. He says he is "happy about" their return to Britain — but his happiness clearly does not mean he has changed his mind about the couple.

If anything, Trump's latest remarks sharpen the distinction he has repeatedly drawn between his admiration for the monarchy and his dislike of Meghan's conduct toward it.

Meanwhile, as we previously reported, King Charles III had his own surprising response when reports first emerged that Harry and Meghan were planning to return to Britain.

What King Charles III Learned About the Reported Move

On August 19, 2026, CNN reported that King Charles III was first made aware of the relocation plans on Sunday. The plans were not raised or discussed during Harry and Meghan's family visit to the UK in July.

The King welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family "in a private and personal capacity," the report said.

The information provided does not address whether a move would affect Harry and Meghan's royal roles or titles. Charles's reported response is limited to the prospect of seeing more of the family privately.

Reports of a possible return come just weeks after the Sussexes' July 10 family reunion with Charles at Highgrove, where signs of reconciliation emerged despite unresolved tensions.

Concerns Emerge as the Sussexes Prepare to Return

While Charles has welcomed the idea of seeing more of Harry and his family, the Daily Mail highlights significant unease in royal circles about what a Sussex return to Britain could mean in practice.

The central concern, according to the report, is that with Harry and Meghan living in close proximity to the working members of the Royal Family, every move the Sussexes make will be dissected for the slightest hint of a return to official roles — providing a constant distraction from the work of the institution's active members.

For the avoidance of doubt, sources insist, the couple will not be undertaking any royal duties. The King, they say, is absolutely adamant on that point. His primary interest, according to a friend quoted in the report, is in protecting what is right for the monarchy and, above all, his relationship with the Prince of Wales.

That priority speaks to a broader calculation. The Waleses are working royals and future monarchs; Harry and Meghan are not. And William's feelings, sources say, must and will be respected.

Compounding matters, the same report notes that many in royal circles fear — and would firmly object to — the Sussexes' closer proximity to the monarchy being used either as a backdoor entry to public life or as a way of burnishing their commercial credentials. It is a concern that underscores just how fraught even a private, non-royal return could become.

As for Prince William himself, the Daily Mail report makes his position plain: he currently has no desire whatsoever to reconcile with his brother — and is at present holidaying with his family and the King at Balmoral.

A Long-Awaited Visit Finally Happens

Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday evening that Charles and Camilla had welcomed the Sussex family to the King's private Gloucestershire residence earlier that afternoon.

The Palace called the meeting a "private family occasion," a brief description that appeared designed to shut down speculation rather than feed it.

No official photographs were expected to be released. The Palace also indicated that no additional details would be shared because the gathering was considered a personal family matter. Still, the importance of the reunion was difficult to play down.

It was the first time Charles had seen Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, in person in more than four years. The children have spent most of their lives in California following Harry and Meghan's departure from royal duties.

The trip also marked Meghan's first return to the UK with Harry since September 2022, when the couple attended Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

Harry had already appeared at several events during this latest visit. However, it was confirmed one day before the family reunion that Meghan and the children would stay away from his final two days of public engagements.

That decision helped the Sussexes move around with less attention. It also allowed them to reach Highgrove without photographers capturing their arrival.

According to the BBC, father and son had both wanted to meet during the visit, and Charles was reportedly determined to make time for his grandchildren.

For a family whose private disputes have repeatedly spilled into public view, simply getting everyone into the same room was an achievement. However, the quiet afternoon at Highgrove followed a much louder week behind palace walls.

The Road to Highgrove Was Anything but Calm

Harry's visit included cheerful public moments, from joking about his cake-cutting abilities to meeting nurses and supporting wounded service members connected to the Invictus Games.

Behind those scenes, the atmosphere was reportedly far less relaxed.

Disagreements about accommodation and security had exposed how little trust remained between the Sussex camp and the Palace. Messages and competing briefings reportedly flew in both directions as each side pushed back against the other's version of events.

The strain was heightened by a High Court judgment involving Harry's privacy claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail. But these problems began weeks earlier when reports emerged that Meghan and the children planned to join Harry in Britain.

The family had not been back in a long time, and the possibility that they might stay at a royal property was initially seen as evidence that relations had improved.

That optimism did not last long.

Harry and Meghan's team reportedly believed extra protection would be arranged to help the family enter and leave the palace grounds safely. Buckingham Palace then moved to correct what it called "misunderstandings," stressing that security decisions belonged to the Home Office.

No special guarantee, Palace sources insisted, had been given.

The disagreement quickly became more personal. According to The Telegraph, sources close to the Palace accused Harry of using his children as "emotional blackmail." Some also suggested the trip was a "trap," claiming the Sussexes might blame the royal household if security arrangements fell apart.

Those accusations introduced an uncomfortable question. Was the family visit primarily an attempt at reconciliation, or did each side suspect the other of trying to gain a public advantage?

The answer remained unclear when the Palace issued its announcement at 6:40 p.m. on July 10: Harry and Meghan had avoided the waiting photographers, and the reunion many doubted would happen had already ended.

A Possible Stay Close to Diana

The location where Harry, Meghan, and the children stayed during the visit was not officially disclosed. One theory placed the family at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, the ancestral home of Princess Diana's family.

Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond noted that Althorp's house and gardens had been scheduled to close on July 10 and 11. The closure would have cost Earl Spencer visitor income, making the timing especially noticeable.

Bond argued that Althorp would be a natural choice for the Sussexes because Harry has spoken about teaching his children about their relatives.

The estate contains portraits, photographs, and reminders of Diana, whom Archie and Lilibet never had the opportunity to meet. Diana is also buried on an island in a lake on the property. A visit could therefore have given Harry a private way to introduce his children to their grandmother's history.

Bond also suggested Diana's sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, may have joined the family there.

Harry has remained close to his mother's relatives despite his strained relationship with the House of Windsor. Members of the Spencer family have continued supporting him publicly, including at an Invictus Games anniversary event when senior royals stayed away.

Writing for iNews, Bond also said trust, or the lack of it, remained the central problem between the Sussexes and the Palace. She described the visit as a potential "make or finally break moment" for Harry and his father.

The meeting at Highgrove suggests the relationship has not reached the breaking point. Whether it repaired anything deeper is another matter.

The Brother Who Was Not There

While Charles made time for Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lilibet, another central member of the family was miles away. Prince William was playing in a charity polo match in Windsor while the Sussexes were at Highgrove.

There were no plans for the brothers to meet during the visit. Harry had already appeared at several events during his September 2025 trip to the UK, when he met his father at Clarence House for the first time in 19 months. His relationship with William, however, has remained broken.

The brothers' continued separation made the Highgrove gathering feel both hopeful and incomplete. That absence may have been practical, but it also reflected the current limits of the family's reconciliation.

And reconciliation is something Harry has wanted for a while now. Speaking to BBC News in an interview from May 2025 and recorded after the loss of his legal appeal over royal security, the Duke of Sussex expressed a mix of sadness, urgency, and clarity about his future.

"I would love reconciliation with my family," he said. "There's no point continuing to fight anymore. As I said, life is precious. I don't know how much longer my father has. You know, he won't speak to me because of this security stuff. But it would be nice to reconcile."

He added, "If they don't want that, that's entirely up to them."

The interview came shortly after a U.K. court dismissed his attempt to overturn the government's decision to downgrade his police protection when he is in Britain. Harry had argued that the ruling subjected him to "unjustified and inferior treatment." However, on May 2, 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision, rejecting his claim.

During his conversation with BBC's Neda Torfić, Harry said he was, "Obviously, pretty gutted about the decision." The prince also shared that he was unable to return to the United Kingdom with his wife and children. "We thought it was going to go our way, but it certainly hasn't," he shared.

At the time, the Duke added he only returned to the U.K. for funerals, court hearings, and the occasional charity event.

"I put myself at risk for that, but I will continue on with a life of public service," he said. "I can't see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the U.K. at this point. And the things that they're going to miss is—well, everything. [sic]"

The tension between Harry and the royal institution appeared to hinge almost solely on his loss of security. "Just because you spoke there about forgiveness—it sounds like the last step to repairing relations with your family is the security issue, by what you said there," Torfić noted.

"One hundred percent," Harry replied. "Whatever noise has been created, whatever stories have been written—this has always been the sticking point." He went on to explain how the decision to remove his protection in 2020 stunned him.

"God forbid anything should happen. And I don't regret that at all," he said of his decision to step away from royal duties. "I thought with all the disagreements and all of the chaos that's happening, the one thing that I could rely on is my family keeping me safe."

But instead, he said, "Not only did they decide to remove my security in the U.K., but they also signaled to every single government around the world not to protect us." Harry shared that the effect of the ruling was deeply personal.

Reflecting on the rift, Harry acknowledged that some wounds may never fully heal, saying, "Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things." Still, he expressed, "It would be nice to reconcile."