Why We're Worried About Harry & Meghan After Trump's Presidential Win

Donald Trump has made no secret of his dislike for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. During a 2020 White House press briefing, Trump revealed what he really thought of Meghan Markle, in particular, confirming simply, "I'm not a fan of hers," per The Guardian. The two-time president elaborated, "I would say this — and she probably has heard that — I wish a lot of luck to [Prince] Harry, because he's going to need it." Likewise, when the former "Apprentice" host appeared on "Piers Morgan Uncensored" in 2022, he predicted that Harry and Meghan's marriage would crumble once the prince realized he was just obeying her instructions without a second thought. According to Trump, even if Harry never opens his eyes to the so-called truth, Meghan will leave him for another man anyway.

To top it all off, the outspoken politician confidently stated that if he were in Queen Elizabeth II's shoes, Trump would've stripped the couple of their royal titles and kept them at a great distance for their perceived insolence. During a 2023 appearance on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," he also asserted that he wasn't supportive of the Sussexes' decision to step down as working members of the royal family in 2020. Trump believed that Meghan and Harry brought a "great disrespect" to Her Majesty with their choices, per The Hill. In the past, the royal defectors would have let Trump's remarks roll off their backs. However, he may have managed to get under their skin by making it clear that he wouldn't show the couple the same kindness that President Joe Biden did amidst Harry's U.S. visa lawsuit.

Although Prince Harry's 2023 memoir "Spare" was full of startling revelations, one caught conservative think tank Heritage Foundation's eye: His past drug use. The foundation sought to determine if the Duke of Sussex unfairly received royal treatment when he moved to the U.S. with Meghan Markle in 2020 since everybody who enters the country has to disclose their past drug use on their immigration forms and the admission can make or break an application. So, the Heritage Foundation filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security in 2023 and demanded that they make Harry's immigration records public. However, the federal organization denied the request, and the case was ultimately terminated in September 2024 following a private ruling. During a February 2024 chat with Express, Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden for going too soft on Harry.

The 2024 presidential election winner further proclaimed, "I wouldn't protect him. He betrayed the queen. That's unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me." Trump also touched on his feelings about Harry's U.S. visa lawsuit when he spoke to controversial British politician Nigel Farage for GB News in March 2024. "We'll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they'll have to take appropriate action," Trump said (via Politico). However, when Farage inquired about the possibility of the royal couple being deported, he gave a non-answer in response. Still, it's safe to say that Meghan and Harry's future in California looks pretty unstable.

During a 2024 chat with The Telegraph, several experts weighed in on how Donald Trump could make Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's life in the U.S. miserable following his re-election. Christi Hufford Jackson, the head of U.S. Immigration Practice at the UK-based law firm Laura Devine Immigration, shared her views on the matter, suggesting, "Could Trump say 'I want you to look into his previous application?' I don't think he would have grounds to do so here." She continued, "But could a president push buttons below and put pressure on a government agency which reports to him to get it re-examined? Potentially." 

Likewise, Danielle Vinson, a politics professor at Furman University, pointed out that the divisive politician could exercise his considerable power and revoke Harry's visa entirely. However, she was quick to note that such interference should ideally only occur "in the context of diplomatic disputes rather than personal grudges." Meanwhile, LA law firm Provinziano & Associates owner and seasoned lawyer Alphonse Provinziano informed the Daily Mail that the scales may have been tipped in Trump's favor if the Duke of Sussex hadn't disclosed his past drug use on his immigration forms.

It's also worth noting that Nile Gardiner, Director of the Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, admitted to GB News that he hoped the U.S. visa lawsuit would get another chance in court after President Joe Biden's tenure ended. Gardiner also felt that the privileges Harry enjoyed under the Democratic president's administration would dissolve once Trump returned to office.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly heading into Donald Trump's second presidency with their battle armor on. In November 2024, an insider detailed to Express that the royal defectors weren't planning a new life outside of the country any time soon. Likewise, another source disclosed, "Harry and Meghan feel at home in California, and they won't be leaving there without a fight." They added, "They have a very good legal team, and they have a lot of support behind them to ensure that they will be able to remain in the United States." 

In fact, another confidant reasoned that the celebrity couple wasn't losing any sleep over Trump's public statements about them because they had followed all the due processes required for immigrating to the states. Although Harry has remained tight-lipped about his political opinions, like other royal family members, Meghan has been far more open in the past. When the 2016 elections came up during the "Suits" alum's May 2016 appearance on "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore," she labeled Trump "divisive" and "misogynistic," per The Independent. 

The Duchess of Sussex also argued that the Republican candidate's stark vision for the future made voting for his opponent Hillary Clinton a total no-brainer. While her husband hasn't been able to be so vocal about his own political views, an insider confirmed to Us Weekly in 2017 that Harry had no love for Trump and actually viewed him as a "serious threat to human rights."

Donald Trump's second eldest son, Eric Trump, gave Prince Harry and Meghan Markle a dire warning ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. Appearing on GB News in August, the outspoken businessman made it abundantly clear that he agreed with his father's stance on the Sussexes, noting, "You can always have spoiled apples in every orchard, but the institution of the royal family is beautiful and it's something that is actually admired by a lot of Americans." Eric also ominously stated, "You can happily have those two back, we'll happily send them back." However, the former president's mouthpiece then quipped that Meghan and Harry weren't welcome in the United Kingdom or the United States. But, when Eric spoke to the Daily Mail in October 2024, he claimed that he shared the general public sentiment of being unbothered by the royal couple. 

In fact, Eric even made it clear that he wasn't overly concerned about the "Spare" author's drug use either. But the Duke of Sussex certainly seemed to have made a mark on Eric, as he described Harry as "one black sheep who doesn't exactly know where he is, led by a wife that is pretty unpopular, both here and over where you are." The businessman was glad that William, Prince of Wales, hadn't fallen into the same so-called trap as his younger brother and found an incredible wife in Catherine, Princess of Wales. However, Eric wished that people wouldn't group William and Harry in the same boat and instead would finally see the royal defector for who he really was.

Before Donald Trump embarked on his 2019 visit to the UK, he sat down for a quick chat with The Sun, during which the famously thin-skinned politician learned that Meghan Markle had spoken negatively about him during her 2016 appearance on "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore." Trump responded by whining, "I didn't know that she was nasty." Luckily for Meghan, she didn't have to meet the then-president in person because she was on maternity leave at the time. Unfortunately, Prince Harry wasn't afforded the same privilege and had to join the rest of the royal family for lunch with the Trumps. However, he reportedly made his dislike known, albeit more subtly than the Duchess of Sussex did. 

An attendee later dished to The Sun that the prince seemed quite aloof throughout the whole affair, recalling, "Harry was the third most senior royal in the room after the queen and his father, but didn't seem to take any part in his royal duties." Royal commentator Ingrid Seward shared a similar account, positing, "He appears to be behaving in a rather immature way and letting his personal animosity take over from his natural good manners." 

The royal expert further contended that Harry should have been a good sport and put his feelings for Trump on the back burner out of respect for his beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. At the end of the day, though, the Duke of Sussex isn't the only royal family member who seemingly has issues with the politician since his father, King Charles III, and brother, William, Prince of Wales, both reportedly snubbed Trump during his 2018 UK visit.