Meghan Markle sat across from Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and accused the royal family of racism on live television.
Six years of Hollywood deals, tell-all memoirs, and Netflix specials later, she and Harry just boarded a private jet back to Britain.
Trump was asked about it – and said something the royal family has never been willing to say out loud.
Trump Reacts to Harry and Meghan Returning to the UK
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left California last week and returned to the United Kingdom after their Hollywood careers collapsed under them.
A reporter asked president Trump about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex packing up their Montecito, California mansion and returning to Britain.
Trump didn't hesitate.
"I'm happy about it," he said, to laughter from the room. "I was not a fan."
"I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect," Trump said. "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."
The president finished with a verdict: "I don't know, maybe I'm different. I wouldn't have taken them back. If I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back."
Queen Elizabeth hosted him for a state visit during his first term. King Charles hosted a state dinner at the White House in April, where both men joked about the Boston Tea Party and America's 250th birthday.
A man with that history saying he wouldn't have welcomed the Sussexes back is not a political shot. It's a verdict from someone who actually knows the people involved.
Harry and Meghan Leave America After Netflix and Spotify Deals Collapsed
Harry and Meghan left Britain in 2020 with an Oprah interview, a Netflix deal worth an estimated $100 million, a Spotify deal worth $20 million, and visions of becoming Hollywood power players.
Six years later, every one of those bets went bust.
Spotify cut ties in 2023 after Meghan's Archetypes podcast delivered just 12 episodes. Bill Simmons, the head of podcast innovation at Spotify, said what the rest of Hollywood whispered: he called them "f***ing grifters."
Netflix spent years trying to make them work — a documentary, a polo series, a lifestyle series called With Love, Meghan, a lifestyle brand called As Ever built around jam and flower sprinkles. None of it found an audience. In March, Netflix ended its partnership with As Ever entirely.
That deal quietly shrank from $100 million to a "first look" arrangement. Two film projects sit stalled in development. Harry's memoir Spare burned every bridge that remained standing after the Oprah interview.
Meghan told friends she was leaving California partly because of Trump.
Hollywood stopped calling and the money ran dry. The couple who torched their royal standing to chase American celebrity discovered that American celebrity is merciless to people who can't deliver ratings.
Trump Says He Wouldn't Have Taken Harry and Meghan Back
Katie Miller – wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller – posted on social media when the Sussex departure was first reported: "They are moving back to Britain because they don't like President Trump."
Megyn Kelly – who has covered the Sussex saga with gleeful precision – responded to news of their return to Britain with a simple farewell on X.
Trump's verdict mirrors what the royal family has demonstrated through six years of closed doors.
King Charles has cancer and is getting his affairs in order. Prince William – the future king – has made his feelings about his brother's conduct clear through years of studied silence.
The royals have cut the Sussexes off – no security detail, no royal title in practice, and no Frogmore Cottage, which they surrendered when they quit.
Harry and Meghan are now in the Cotswolds, sleeping in borrowed rooms at the estate of hedge fund billionaire Ian Wace while they house-hunt on what insiders describe as a "gargantuan budget."
They're keeping the Montecito mansion and the Portugal vacation home.
They walked away from one of the most recognized institutions on earth, spent six years failing to replace it, and landed back in Britain with less than they left with.
Trump said it from the Oval Office. The royal family said it through action.
"I'm happy about it."
Sources:
- "Trump takes jab at Prince Harry, Meghan Markle as they leave the US," Fox News, September 2, 2026.
- "Meghan Markle and Netflix end lifestyle brand partnership as critics say they 'got Markled enough,'" Fox News, March 6, 2026.
- "Meghan and Harry's $100 Million Netflix Deal Is a Hollywood Miss," The Wrap, February 29, 2024.
- Victoria Taft, "President Trump Was Just Asked About Harry and Meghan Leaving the U.S., and Stand Back," PJ Media, September 3, 2026.
- "Harry and Meghan's American dream runs out of steam," Deseret News, August 28, 2026.