Donald Trump ‘happy’ Harry and Meghan have quit US saying he is ‘not a fan’The president believes the couple treated the monarchy with ‘great disrespect’ adding he ‘would not have taken them back’.The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have returned to the UK (PA)PA ArchiveNick Lester3 minutes ago
Donald Trump has said that he is “happy” Harry and Meghan have left the US for the UK declaring he was “not a fan”.
The president believes the couple had treated the monarchy with “great disrespect” and if he was in the royal family he “would not have taken them back”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, returned to the UK last week to begin a new life after six years living in the US.
The family is said to be settling in the UK for an “extended period” of time amid speculation as to how long they will stay and where they will live, with the Cotswolds being suggested as the most likely destination.
President Donald Trump said he is ‘not a fan’ (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)AP
Asked in the White House about his reaction to the departure from the US of Harry and Meghan, Mr Trump said: “I’m happy about it. I was not a fan.”
He added: “I had a very good relationship with the Queen. Really good. I got to know her very well.
“A really good relationship with King Charles. I knew him as Prince Charles and King Charles. I’ve known him for a long time. He’s great, great guy.
“And I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect. 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.
“I wouldn’t have taken them back. If I were in the royal family I would not have taken him back.”
Harry and Meghan, who are remaining as non-working royals, quit the monarchy six years ago, relocating to the US from where they criticised members of the royal family and the institution.
The Sussexes’ dramatic U-turn was revealed last month, but the pair have yet to speak publicly about their plans.
Many questions remain unanswered, including whether taxpayers will foot the bill for their security.
Harry, a former soldier who served in Afghanistan, wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood last month asking her to take a personal role in determining if his family receive close police protection.
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham would previously not be drawn on Harry and Meghan’s security arrangements in the UK, saying the funding for it was a “private matter”.
Harry had insisted it was too dangerous to bring his wife and children to the UK with the security he was entitled to post-Megxit.
It is understood there have been at least six threats or plots concerning the duke from the Taliban, al Qaida or their supporters since 2007.
Last year, he lost a legal battle against the Home Office over the security arrangements for him and his family while in the UK, after his level of protection changed when he stopped being a working royal.
Harry has argued he faces a greater risk than his late mother, with “additional layers of racism and extremism”.
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