Donald Trump weighs in on Prince Harry’s invite to the coronation

‘I was actually surprised that Harry was invited to be honest,’ Trump said in an interview this week with Nigel Farage

Meredith Clark
New York
Thursday 04 May 2023 07:04 BST
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Donald Trump expresses surprise at Prince Harry attending coronation

Donald Trump has shared his unfiltered thoughts about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a wide-ranging GB News interview with Nigel Farage.

Speaking to the Brexit Party leader during his two-day trip to Scotland, the former US president explained his shock upon learning that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were invited to the coronation of King Charles III, which takes place on Saturday 6 May.

“I was actually surprised that Harry was invited to be honest,” Trump told Farage on Wednesday (3 May). “He said some terrible things…the book [Spare] was just...to me, it was horrible.”

Prince Harry made several bombshell claims about the royal family in his tell-all memoir, Spare, which was released in January. Some of the many revelations included an alleged fight between brothers Prince Harry and Prince William and Harry’s relationship with his stepmother, Queen Camilla.

The 45th president went on to claim that the Duchess of Sussex had been “very disrespectful” to the late Queen Elizabeth II, before she and Prince Harry stepped down as senior working royal in 2020.

“I think she [Meghan] has been very disrespectful to the Queen,” Trump said. “How can you be so disrespectful to the Queen? She was incredible, for decades and decades she never made a mistake. I cannot think of a mistake she made, she was never controversial.”

Trump added: “She went through years and decades without controversy. You cannot be disrespectful to her and I think Meghan was very disrespectful to her, very disrespectful.”

Despite his thoughts about Prince Harry attending his father’s coronation, the former president said he thinks the ceremony will be a “great day” and King Charles and Queen Camilla “will do a great job”.

On 12 April, Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry will attend the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday 6 May. However, his wife Meghan will stay at home in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

“Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6 May,” the Palace said in a statement. “The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.”

This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has spoken out against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. He previously took aim at Meghan Markle in an interview with Piers Morgan last year, in which he claimed that the mother of two is leading Prince Harry “by the nose”.

During an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Trump said that the former royals’ marriage was a ticking time bomb, which will blow up when “Harry decides he’s had enough of being bossed around”. The former president added that Meghan might leave Harry “when she decides that she likes some other guy better”.

“I’m not a fan of Meghan, and I wasn’t from the beginning. Poor Harry is being led around by his nose. And I think he’s an embarrassment,” he was quoted as saying.

Earlier in December 2021, Trump claimed that Meghan had been “disrespectful” to the royal family and insisted that her husband had been “used horribly”.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their duties as senior working royals in 2020, before relocating their family to Montecito, California. Since then, the couple have shared many details about their time in the royal family – from their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021; to their six-part Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan; to his memoir, Spare.

Following their decision to step back from royal duties, Donald Trump said it was “sad” and that he felt bad for the Queen at the time.

“I think it’s sad,” he told Fox News. “[The Queen] is a great woman. She’s never made a mistake… She’s had a flawless time.”

“I don’t want to get into the whole thing, but I just have such respect for the Queen,” he continued, adding: “I don’t think this should be happening to her.”

Trump’s remarks about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex come just days before Prince Harry is set to reunite with the royal family at King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday 6 May.

It was previously reported that Harry was seeking an “apology” from his father, Charles, and his brother, the Prince of Wales, before he made any commitment to the ceremony. Harry had also said in an interview that the “door is always open” for reconciliation.

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