US President Donald Trump is in the middle of his second state visit to the UK. And the visit has, of course, included some time spent with the British royal family. During a state banquet at Windsor Castle, the US President even had some very warm words to say about the royals, though one of them has been interpreted as a veiled reference to Prince Harry, King Charles‘s youngest son.
Trump was very complimentary of King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Princess Catherine, and referenced the “special relationship” the US has with the UK, according to the New York Post. “This is truly one of the highest honors of my life. I have such respect for you and such respect for your country for many decades,” he said during the dinner, praising King Charles for preserving “the glorious and unique character of this kingdom.”
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In front of 150 dignitaries, President Trump also took time to praise the Prince of Wales, telling Charles he’d raised a “remarkable son,” making absolutely no mention of Prince Harry. The youngest of King Charles’s kids recently met with his father in what has been characterized as the first step towards a full reconciliation. Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down as working royals in 2020 and moved to the United States.
Trump also referenced how King Charles “uplifted the poor, cared for rural farmers, and tended to wounded veterans like nobody else.” The latter has been taken by some as a dig at the Duke of Sussex, whose Invictus Foundation has focused specifically on wounded veterans.
In regard to William, the President said he would “have an unbelievable success in the future.” He also made another comment about Kate Middleton, praising the Princess of Wales directly in his speech. “Melania and I are delighted to visit again with Prince William and to see Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine so radiant and so healthy, so beautiful. It’s really a great honor,” he added.
Trump’s relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has not been the best. In 2019, Prince Harry notably stayed back during an appearance with the US President after he referred to Meghan Markle as ‘nasty.’ Recently, Prince Harry appeared to reference Trump during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, when he spoke about the “weak moral character in the world.” Markle, however, has been much more critical.
During a 2016 appearance on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Markle referred to Trump as “divisive” and “misogynistic. When Trump was informed of what Markle said, his response was, “I didn’t know that. What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty.” The President denies making these comments, though audio of his remarks has been published in UK newspapers. Obviously, Markle was not present during Trump’s last state visit after these comments about her. The official reason at the time was related to Prince Archie, who was only a month old at the time.
Whether this new comment from President Trump was really shade at Prince Harry or not, it seems clear the Duke and Duchess of Sussex aren’t exactly trying to be friends with the President, either. And since they’re not working royals these days, there’s no more attending state banquets and grinning even though they don’t want to in their lives, either.