Donald Trump has taken another swipe at Meghan Markle, saying he’s glad Prince Harry and his American wife have relocated to Britain.
Days after the couple returned to the UK—six years after stepping away from senior royal duties—the president hit out at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and questioned why the royal family would want to take them back.
Asked how we felt about their surprise decision to leave the U.S, the president replied: “I was happy about it. I was not a fan.
“I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect,” he added.
“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the way she acted. I thought she was terribly disrespectful to the Queen and to King Charles. I don’t know. Maybe I’m different. I wouldn’t have taken them back.”
The president’s comments came during an Oval Office meeting with U.S. travel executives.
But it was not the first time the president has criticized the duchess.
In 2019, during an interview with British newspaper The Sun, Trump was asked how he felt about the then Suits actress calling him “misogynistic” and “divisive” during a 2016 appearance she made on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore.
Meghan Markle as Rachel Zane in 'Suits.'
USA NetworkTrump said at the time he wasn’t aware of the comments, and noted: “I didn’t know that she was nasty.”
One year later, when reports emerged that the couple was planning to move to California, Trump made it clear that U.S. taxpayers should not foot the bill for their private security.
“They must pay!” he posted.
And last year, when Trump was asked about his thoughts on Harry’s plea for the U.S. to end the Ukraine war, he responded, “Prince Harry? How’s he doing? How’s his wife?” before adding sarcastically, “Please give her my regards.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to the U.S. in 2020 after years of intense media scrutiny by the UK tabloid press.
By that stage, Markle’s relationship with the royal family had evolved from a celebrated addition into a deep public and personal rift, leading the pair to step away from royal life in pursuit of financial independence and privacy in America.
The couple bought a private house in Montecito, an upscale coastal town in Santa Barbara County, and embarked on a series of media production, business and philanthropic ventures, albeit with mixed success.
But their American dream came to an abrupt halt last week, after it was revealed that they were returning to the UK.
A friend of King Charles III told the Daily Beast this week that Harry was “informally encouraged by King Charles to return to the UK because the king believes that the royal family is stronger united.”
There was also speculation that Markle was in early talks to feature in the next series of The Gentlemen, but those potential casting plans have reportedly been put on ice.
The pair are said to be house hunting for a private property in the rural Cotswolds region outside of London.
Their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, are enrolled to start at a local British school for the autumn term, and the couple reportedly have no plans to resume official working royal duties.
