Trump says he feels 'sad' for the Queen after Harry, Meghan's royal exit: 'This shouldn't be happening to her'
President Donald Trump expressed his sympathy for Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, January 10 in the wake of the royal fallout, and deemed Harry and Meghan's decision to step back as "senior members" of the royal family "sad."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a shock announcement on Wednesday, January 8, stating that they were withdrawing from their royal duties and were working to become financially independent from the royal family.
Trump, while appearing on Fox News' 'The Ingraham Angle', was asked for his opinion on how to deal with the "rogue royals," to which the president replied with: "I think it’s sad. I do. I think it’s sad. She’s a great woman," he said referring to the Queen. "She’s never made a mistake if you look. I mean, she’s had like a flawless time."
The segment's host, Laura Ingraham, then asked Trump if he believed that the Sussexes should return to Buckingham Palace. The president insisted that he did not "want to get into the whole thing." However, he added: "I just have such respect for the Queen, I don’t think this should be happening to her."
Trump, a known admirer of the Queen, has often offered high praise for the reigning monarch, calling her a "tremendous woman."
The president has also previously spoken about Meghan Markle in a disapproving tone, calling her "nasty" in June 2019 when he learned that she had threatened to move to Canada if he won the 2016 presidential elections.
"She was nasty to me. And that's OK for her to be nasty," he had said. "It's not good for me to be nasty to her and I wasn't." However, he retracted his statement days later, forgiving her for her comments and calling her "nice."
Harry and Meghan, made their bombshell announcement through a joint public statement, which read: "We have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment."
The Palace was reportedly left blindsided by the couple's announcement, leaving them scrambling to downplay the Sussex's claim. A Palace spokesperson on Wednesday said: "Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through."