President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday he was “happy” that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had left the United States, accusing the couple of treating the royal family with “great disrespect” and declaring that if he were the British monarch, he would not have welcomed them back.
A Royal Return, A Presidential Verdict
President Donald Trump has delivered a characteristically blunt verdict on the return of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to the United Kingdom, telling reporters on Wednesday that he is “happy” they have left American shores.”
I’m happy about it. I was not a fan,” Trump said in the Oval Office, a week after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated from their Montecito, California, home back to Britain.
“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”.
“If I Were the Royal Family…”
The US President, who has long admired the British monarchy and enjoyed a rare double state visit from both the late Queen and King Charles, made clear he would have taken a far harder line than the royals themselves.
“Maybe I’m different. I wouldn’t have taken him back, right? If I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back,” Trump declared.
His comments come after six years of bitter acrimony between the Sussexes and the British royal family. The couple stepped down as working royals in 2020 and moved to North America amid a deepening feud.
That rift was exacerbated by Harry’s tell-all memoir “Spare” and the couple’s bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which they insinuated that the monarchy was racist and Meghan spoke of contemplating suicide.
A Complicated Homecoming
The A-list couple has now settled back in Britain with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5.
While Harry appears to have mended relations with his father, King Charles III, who is battling cancer, he reportedly remains estranged from his brother, Prince William, and William’s wife, Catherine.
Reports indicate the couple plan to stay for an “extended period” in a home in the Cotswolds, having enrolled their children in a local school.
However, they intend to keep their existing homes in California and Portugal, leaving questions about whether the move is permanent.
A History of Barbs
Trump and Meghan have a long history of trading barbs.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Meghan called Trump “misogynistic” and “divisive”.
Trump, in turn, has previously denied calling her “nasty” despite the comment being clearly audible on a recorded interview.
In 2020, Trump said of Harry:
“I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he’s going to need it”.
A Lesson in Loyalty and Consequence
This episode serves as a powerful reminder of a universal truth: loyalty matters.
The Sussexes’ decision to publicly air grievances against the royal family, an institution built on tradition, duty and discretion, came with consequences.
Their commercial deals in the US reportedly fell flat, and their standing in Britain remains deeply divided.
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For young Nigerians, there is a lesson here; be careful who you publicly criticise and how you do it.
In a world where social media amplifies every word, the temptation to “speak your truth” can sometimes come at a high cost.
The Sussexes may have found a measure of freedom in their departure, but they also lost something irreplaceable, the protection, prestige and purpose that comes with being part of an institution bigger than oneself.
The same applies to Nigerian youths who are often recruited for political thuggery and violence.
Those who use them never allow their own children to participate.
The children of the elite are never on the frontlines; they are safely tucked away in universities abroad or in comfortable homes.
It is the children of the poor who are used as cannon fodder.
Think before you speak.
Think before you act.
And never allow yourself to be used as a tool for someone else’s ambition.
