The US President Says He ‘Would Not Have Taken’ Harry and Meghan Back — Delivering a Scathing Verdict on Their UK Return

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move back to Britain has drawn another pointed reaction from the US President, who made clear he has little sympathy for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, September 2, the President said he was “happy” that Harry and Meghan had left the United States after relocating from California to the UK with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

“I was not a fan,” he added.

But his strongest comments came when discussing the Sussexes’ relationship with the Royal Family. Praising King Charles and recalling his relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II, the President accused Harry and Meghan of treating the monarchy with “great disrespect.”

He then went further, saying that if the decision had been his, he would not have welcomed them back.

‘I would not have taken them back’

The US President said he had known King Charles for many years and described the monarch as a “great, great guy.”

He also spoke warmly about Queen Elizabeth, saying he had enjoyed a “very good relationship” with the late monarch.

His assessment of Harry and Meghan was considerably less complimentary.

“I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect,” he told reporters.

He specifically criticized Meghan’s conduct toward both Queen Elizabeth and Charles.

“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the way she acted,” he said. “I thought she was terribly disrespectful to the Queen, to King Charles.”

The President then offered his own view of how the Royal Family should have responded to the Sussexes’ return.

“Frankly, if I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back.”

Harry and Meghan have returned with their children

Harry, Meghan, Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, officially arrived in England on August 26.

Their dogs, Pula and Mia, also made the move.

The family plans to use a private, non-royal residence in Britain as its base for an extended period, while retaining its California property and vacation home in Portugal.

Archie and Lilibet are also expected to begin school in Britain this month.

King Charles was reportedly informed about the couple’s plans on August 16 and is said to welcome the possibility of spending more private time with Harry and his grandchildren.

However, the Sussexes’ relocation does not represent a return to their former positions within the monarchy.

Harry and Meghan remain non-working members of the Royal Family.

No return to working royal life

The King is understood to be maintaining the arrangement established when Harry and Meghan stepped away from senior royal duties.

Their new life in Britain will therefore remain separate from official royal responsibilities.

That distinction is significant given the US President’s suggestion that the family had “taken them back.”

While the Sussexes have returned geographically to Britain, there has been no restoration of their former working roles.

Their relationship with individual members of the family also remains complicated.

Harry’s relationship with Prince William has been particularly strained following years of public revelations and disagreements.

The President has criticized Meghan before

The latest remarks are part of a much longer history of public tension between the US President and Meghan.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, when she was still appearing in Suits, Meghan described him as “misogynistic” and “divisive” during a television interview.

In 2019, the President attracted attention after remarks in which he appeared to describe Meghan as “nasty,” although he subsequently denied calling her that.

Their public disagreements have continued in the years since.

The President has repeatedly made clear that he views Harry and Meghan’s treatment of the monarchy negatively, while Meghan’s earlier political comments established her own criticism long before she became a senior member of the Royal Family.

He previously blamed Meghan for Harry’s situation

The President made similarly critical remarks during a private conversation with royal biographer Robert Hardman earlier this year.

Hardman met him while King Charles and Queen Camilla were visiting the United States in April.

Their conversation reportedly turned to Harry’s fractured relationship with William and the possibility of the Duke eventually finding his way back into the royal fold.

When Hardman suggested such a reconciliation appeared highly unlikely, the President responded: “Too many things, I guess.”

He then appeared to place significant responsibility on Meghan.

“That wife of his,” he said. “Boy, what she’s done to that guy…”

He also suggested Meghan had been “blocked out” by William’s wife, Catherine.

Harry’s Ukraine speech triggered another exchange

Harry also found himself on the receiving end of comments from the US President following his surprise visit to Ukraine in April.

Speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum, the Duke discussed the United States’ role in international security and called for “American leadership to step up.”

Harry did not name the President.

“The United States has a singular role in this story,” he said, referring to assurances surrounding Ukraine’s sovereignty after the country gave up nuclear weapons.

“This is a moment for American leadership,” Harry continued.

Asked about those remarks later in the Oval Office, the President initially responded by bringing up Meghan.

“Prince Harry? How’s he doing? How’s his wife? Please give her my regards.”

He then rejected the idea that Harry represented Britain’s position.

“Prince Harry is not speaking for the U.K. That’s for sure,” he said.

Charles reportedly welcomes a private family relationship

The President’s criticism arrives as King Charles appears to be taking a different approach to Harry’s return.

Although there is no suggestion the King intends to restore the Sussexes as working royals, he reportedly welcomes having Harry and his family physically closer.

That could be particularly important for Charles’ relationship with Archie and Lilibet, who spent most of their early childhood in California.

Their move dramatically reduces the geographical distance that previously made regular family contact difficult.

The same opportunity may not immediately extend to William.

The brothers’ relationship remains strained, and there has been no indication that Harry’s move back to Britain has resulted in a reconciliation.

A British home, but no royal comeback

Harry and Meghan’s return therefore represents something considerably more complicated than a straightforward homecoming.

They are once again living in Harry’s home country and their children are preparing for school in Britain, while the family retains its homes and connections overseas.

At the same time, their official relationship with the monarchy remains unchanged.

For King Charles, the move could provide an opportunity to rebuild a private relationship with his son and grandchildren without reopening the question of royal duties.

The US President, however, has offered a far harsher assessment.

Asked how he felt about the Sussexes leaving America, he said he was “happy about it.”

And when it came to their renewed proximity to the Royal Family, his message was equally unmistakable: if the decision had belonged to him, Harry and Meghan would not have been welcomed back.