‘Sickness in Leadership’: Prince Harry Fires Thinly Veiled Shot at Trump and Musk
During a surprise speech at a tech conference, the Duke of Sussex took a turn toward politics.
The Daily Beast/Getty
Prince Harry seemed to take a pointed swipe at President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the MAGA movement in general during a surprise speech at a tech conference on Thursday.
Although the royal’s remarks at the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles centered around his approach to investing “through the lens of service,” he eventually took a sharp turn into politics.
“Now, this would be a great time to talk about how a sickness in leadership across sectors, from politics to tech, can have a detrimental effect on millions, if not billions, of people,” the Duke of Sussex said, according to The Daily Mail.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the Whistler Welcoming Ceremony during day two of the 2025 Invictus Games on Feb. 10, 2025 in Whistler, British Columbia.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
”When service to others is sacrificed for personal gain. When basic morals and empathy are abandoned in favor of power and control,” he continued. “But I’m not gonna get into all that now!”
While Harry didn’t specify who he was talking about, his remarks arrive amid Trump and Musk’s chaotic efforts to reshape the federal government.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Harry’s speech also came on the heels of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s White House visit on Thursday, which saw Starmer pass along a note from King Charles extending Trump an “unprecedented” second state visit.
Charles, then Prince of Wales, and Camilla, then Duchess of Cornwall, meet U.S. President Donald Trump and wife Melania at Clarence House on Dec. 3, 2019, in London.
WPA Pool/Getty Images
Although Trump is usually a vocal fan of the British royals (he called Charles “a great, great gentleman” on Thursday), he has been unsparing in his criticism of Harry’s wife, former actress Meghan Markle.
Earlier this month, the president called her “terrible,” adding that he thinks Harry is being “whipped” by his wife.
Trump also said that he had no plans to deport Harry, who has been living in California since 2020: “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife.”
Back in 2016, during Trump’s first run at the presidency, Markle had labeled him “divisive” and a “misogynist,” which the president later said was “nasty.”
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.