Donald Trump has said he is 'happy' Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have left the United States, delivering a blunt verdict on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex just days after their return to Britain. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, 2 September, the US president said he was 'not a fan' of the couple and accused them of treating the royal family with 'great disrespect'.
The comments came one week after the Suits star, Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, arrived in Britain on 26 August after six years in California. Their return is understood to be for an extended period, with Archie, 7, and Lilibet, 5, due to attend school in Britain. The Sussexes are expected to live in a private, non-royal residence and will not return to official royal duties, while their California home is being retained.
Trump Singles Out Meghan
Q: Mr President, what’s your reaction to Prince Harry and Meghan Merkle left the U.S. and went back to Britain?
— MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) September 2, 2026
TRUMP: I’m happy about it.. 🤣https://t.co/5T978yQNsN pic.twitter.com/6QxuhmTjJf
Asked directly about Harry and Meghan leaving the US, Trump replied: 'I'm happy about it. No, I was not a fan.' He then linked his reaction to his relationship with the monarchy, saying he had known Queen Elizabeth II 'very well' and also had a strong relationship with King Charles III.
Trump said: 'I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect. I didn't like it.' He then shifted specifically to Meghan, saying: 'I didn't like the way she acted. I thought she was terribly disrespectful to the Queen, to King Charles.' The president went further, saying that if he were a member of the royal family, he 'would not have taken them back'.
Trump's 'great disrespect' accusation was directed at both Harry and Meghan, while his sharper 'terribly disrespectful' criticism explicitly targeted Meghan. The comments nevertheless put fresh attention on a political clash involving the American-born duchess that stretches back to before she married into the royal family.
A Feud That Predates Royal Life
Meghan publicly criticised Trump in 2016, when she was still starring as Rachel Zane in Suits, and he was campaigning for his first term as president. During an appearance on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, she described Trump as 'divisive' and 'misogynistic' while discussing the US presidential election. She also suggested his candidacy made it easier for voters to reject 'that kind of world that he's painting'.
Trump later responded to those remarks during his first presidency, beginning years of public criticism from Trump involving Meghan and, eventually, Harry. In September 2020, after the Sussexes encouraged Americans to participate in that year's election without endorsing a candidate, Trump again said he was 'not a fan' of Meghan. His latest remarks revive that history at the precise moment the duchess is moving much of her family life back across the Atlantic.
The Sussexes Return Without Royal Duties
Harry and Meghan stepped back as working members of the royal family in 2020 and ultimately settled in California, where they built their post-royal careers around media, philanthropy and business. The Royal Family's official website states that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as working members in 2020, while their own office lists projects including Archewell Philanthropies, Archewell Productions, Meghan's lifestyle brand As Ever, and her Netflix series With Love, Meghan.
Their return does not restore their previous working-royal roles, meaning Trump's remark about the family having 'taken them back' appears to refer to their return to Britain rather than a resumption of official duties. What has changed is geography: after six years building a life in California, Meghan is back in the country where her royal chapter began, just as one of her longest-running public critics has made clear he is pleased to see her leave America.
