Sometimes, even the President of the United States just wants to know the tea. And that’s apparently what happened when President Trump visited the UK for his second state visit. In the middle of joint appearances and a lavish banquet with the British royalty, Trump reportedly took the time to ask a question about Meghan Markle.
Royal expert Tom Sykes reported in his The Royalist Substack that Trump was definitely interested in how the relationship between Markle and the royal family is doing. “What’s the gossip on Meghan then? What’s going on there?” the President reportedly ask, with Skyes saying he was hoping for an exclusive update. So far, neither Buckingham Palace nor the White House have commented about the reported inquiry.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not been working royals since 2020, when the two moved to the United States. However, Harry recently met with his father for the first time in over a year, something that has been interpreted as a sign that the royal family might find a way to come together.
These new reports make it seem like Trump was really interested in knowing. Before that, in a press conference with Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland, Trump praised the royal family. “Being with Charles, Camilla and everybody, I’ve got to know because of four years [as President] and now six months,” he said. “I’ve got to know a lot of the family members. They are great people. They are really great people.”
But he also made a comment that some people interpreted as a dig at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. “And in that sense, I think the UK is very lucky. You could have people that weren’t great people. I don’t know if I can say that, but you could have people that weren’t.”
That’s not all. In 2020, after the couple appeared in a video urging citizens to vote, Trump said about the two, “I would say this — and she has probably heard that — I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he’s going to need it.” He was even harsher earlier this year, when questions about Harry’s immigration status were raised. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible,” he told The New York Post in March. “I think poor Harry is being led around by the nose.”
Prince Harry has been a little more measured in his criticism, speaking about “weak moral character in the world” during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games back in February, something people took as a dig at President Trump. Markle, however, has not minced words.
During a 2016 appearance on Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, Markle referred to Trump as “divisive” and branded him “misogynistic.” Pretty strong words. After 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 denied making these comments, but audio of the comments has been published in UK newspapers.
Markle was not present during Trump’s first state visit to the UK, as it occurred only a month after the birth of Prince Archie. His recent second visit came years after Markle and Prince Harry stepped down as working royals and moved to the U.S. But it seems Trump was still interested in the couple. Perhaps not in meeting them, but at least in finding out the latest details on their relationship with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the rest of the royal family.