Donald Trump isn’t a fan of Prince Harry or Meghan Markle and he has not been shy to make it known, at least, not in the past, it seems like he’s changed his tune since taking office(Image: Getty Images )Donald Trump has had some choice words for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over the years. His outspoken opinions on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may prove awkward this week as the US President heads to the UK for a state visit, hosted by King Charles.
Trump seems to have gone out of his way to target the Sussexes over the years, threatening to have Harry deported and then letting him off the hook, saying Harry has enough to deal with being married to Meghan Markle.
It seems like Trump has pulled back on the Harry and Meghan bashing since returning to office for a second term, but even so, we thought it’d be worthwhile to check in with the experts on how this is going to go down when he’s sitting face-to-face with Harry’s father and Meghan’s father-in-law.
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According to royal expert Pauline Maclaran, the discord between Trump and the Sussexes won’t be an issue because it’s unlikely to come up.
She said: “I think they will avoid the topic of Harry altogether! That will be safer for both of them.”
Trump was in the UK for a state visit in 2019, in which he got to know Charles (Image: AP)It’s clear Trump has a soft spot for the Royal Family, but it’s not necessarily a two-way street with Maclaran saying this is not a bromance, nor is it a “king crush”.
Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever and Professor of Marketing and Consumer Research at Royal Holloway, told us: “I don’t imagine the King and Trump being bosom buddies somehow as they have very different views on many things but particularly on the environment and the need to protect it.”
Trump’s Harry and Meghan bashing is in the past
She explained: ‘However, if any meeting takes place, Charles will be certain to avoid topics he knows would be conflictual and stick to innocuous subjects that are unlikely to offend.”
“He will, of course, put on a good royal show for him I’m sure!”
The two world leaders have bigger fish to fry
We also had a chance to speak to Brittani Barger, co-founder of Royal News, about whether or not Trump earned this second invite, who thinks inviting Trump for a second state visit was a good idea. Barger said: “With the tariffs, it was smart to invite President Trump on another state visit.”
She added: “It will flatter him and hopefully help negotiate trade deals and more.”
“He has immense respect for the monarchy, so this is a good way to continue the strong relationship between the UK and the US.”