‘Happy about it’: Trump on Prince Harry, Meghan Markle return to UK; says ‘not a fan’ of both

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that he was “happy” about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s decision to return to Britain, while making clear that he is “not a fan” of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and accusing them of showing “great disrespect” to the Royal Family of UK.

Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump, when asked about reports that Harry and Meghan were leaving the US and returning to the UK with their two children, said, “I’m happy about it. No, I was not a fan”.

The US President said that he had a good relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II and also praised King Charles III, whom he said he had known for a long time. “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.

He criticised Harry and Meghan’s treatment of the Royal Family, saying, “I thought they treated the Royal Family with great disrespect”. “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”, Trump said, referring to Meghan.

President Trump said Wednesday he is “not a fan” of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and that he’s “happy” the pair left the United States to return to the U.K.

“I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect,” Trump said. “I didn’t like it.… pic.twitter.com/2dy7q2mYx4

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 2, 2026

Trump added that had he been in the position of the Royal Family, he would not have welcomed the couple back. “I don’t know; maybe I’m different. I wouldn’t have taken them back. If I were the Royal Family, I would not have taken them back”, he said.

Harry and Meghan have recently moved back to Britain with their two children after nearly six years in the United States, according to people familiar with their decision, as reported by The New York Times. The move would bring the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back to the country they left after stepping away from their roles as senior working members of the Royal Family in 2020.

King Charles III was informed about the decision last month, according to The New York Times. The couple’s return was not discussed during their meeting with the King earlier this year.

Harry and Meghan are expected to continue living as non-working royals and remain private individuals after returning to Britain. They are not expected to move back into royal accommodation, while it remains unclear where the family will live. Their children, Archie and Lilibet, have spent most of their lives in the US.

Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the Royal Family has remained strained since they stepped back from royal duties. Harry was stripped of his honorary military titles and royal patronages in 2021. Harry later detailed his experiences within the Royal Family in his memoir Spare, while he and Meghan discussed their lives as royals during a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Security has also remained a major issue for Harry, who has repeatedly said he did not believe his family would be safe in Britain without police protection. His legal battle over security arrangements continued after his move to the US.

Since relocating to the United States, Harry and Meghan have maintained a different public role, including signing a deal with Netflix and releasing the six-part documentary series Harry & Meghan, in which they discussed their time within the Royal Family and their decision to leave. (ANI)