Trump "happy" that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have left the United States

Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was "glad" that Prince Harry and his wife Meghan had left the United States for the United Kingdom, saying he "would not have taken them back" if he were a member of the royal family.

The US president specifically accused Meghan of being "very disrespectful" to the late Queen Elizabeth, in his first official reaction on the matter.

King Charles III's younger son and his wife left the United Kingdom in 2020, having fallen out with the royal family and frequently criticizing them publicly. They were living in California with their children, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five.

"I'm happy about it. I wasn't a fan," Donald Trump responded in the Oval Office, when asked about the couple's return to the United Kingdom for an indefinite period.

According to British media, the family could settle in the Cotswolds, a region popular with celebrities, northwest of London.

"I think they were very disrespectful to the royal family. I didn't like it," the US president added.

"I had a very good relationship with the Queen. Really very good. I got to know her very well. I also have a very good relationship with King Charles," he added.

Harry appeared to have reconnected with his father, King Charles III, who is battling cancer, during his recent visits to the UK. However, he reportedly remains estranged from Prince William, his brother and heir to the British throne, and his wife Kate.

Donald Trump asserted that he would not have been so magnanimous: "If I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back," the American president declared.

The former television personality has already dealt with Meghan on several occasions.

On the eve of a state visit in 2019, during his first term, he denied calling Meghan "nasty", although the comment was clearly audible in a recording of an interview with a tabloid.

In 2020, he stated that he was "not a fan" of the actress, wishing Harry "the best of luck, because he's going to need it."

Meghan Markle, an American citizen, criticized Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, calling him "misogynistic" and "polarizing".

- Royal quarrel -

This return to the country marks the end of a long exile for the princely couple who married in 2018, before relinquishing their roles within the royal family and then moving to America.

The rift worsened when Harry published his autobiography "Spare" and when the couple gave an interview to American talk show star Oprah Winfrey.

During the interview, the couple insinuated that a member of the royal family was racist, and had questioned the skin color of their son before his birth, Meghan being mixed race.

She also confided that she had considered suicide after joining the royal family.

The announcement of the couple's return came as a surprise in the United Kingdom.

According to The Telegraph, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have returned for an "extended stay." They will lead an "international" family life, the newspaper reports, noting that they have retained their homes in California and Portugal.

The reasons for their departure from California are unknown. Meghan was reportedly in talks to star in the Netflix series "The Gentlemen," filmed in England, but media outlets claimed that the negotiations fell through.

Their return is expected to be difficult, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are among the most unpopular members of the royal family, following the numerous criticisms they have made against it, particularly against William, Harry's brother and heir to the throne.

AFP