Donald Trump's Reversal On Prince Harry Deportation Takes Nasty Swipe At Meghan Markle

When Donald Trump reclaimed the White House, he wasted no time making good on many of the promises he made on the campaign trail: appointing his loyal insiders to his cabinet; rounding up undocumented immigrants for deportation; and ousting federal employees. Trump even brought back his most bizarre Oval Office feature: the button on his desk summoning his signature Diet Coke. However, his vow about Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has gone the way of his promise to lower egg prices. 

The feud between Harry and Trump had promised to heat up when the royal was ordered back to court on February 5. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, is determined to prove that Harry's admission of drug experimentation in his memoir, "Spare," means he lied on his U.S. visa application. In March 2024, Trump gave GB News an exclusive interview in which he declared he wouldn't give the prince any leeway if the court ruled against him. "We'll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they'll have to take appropriate action," the then-candidate said. He stopped short of actually naming the consequence, coyly saying, "You'll have to tell me." 

Ten months later, Trump's view has softened. Asked by a New York Post reporter on February 7 whether he would deport Harry back to the U.K. over the visa issue, the president said, "Oh, I don't want to do that." He went on to slam his real target: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. "I'll leave him alone," he said. "He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible." Though the prince would surely have something to say about the dig at his wife, this should nonetheless ease his worries. 

President Donald Trump has made it clear where he stands in the long feud between Prince William and Prince Harry. He's made a number of slams against the younger royal in the past, telling the Daily Express U.S. Harry "betrayed the Queen" by exiting royal life and airing his grievances publicly. "That's unforgivable," he said. He also has no love for the Duchess of Sussex, who has been more outspoken about her opinion of the president. "Of course Trump is divisive," she told "The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore" (via Guardian News) before the 2016 elections. Meghan Markle added that Trump is "misogynistic and so vocal about it. ...Trump has made it easy to see that you don't want that kind of world." In response, the then-candidate told The Sun, "I didn't know that she was nasty."  William, on the other hand, gets the president's full approval. "I think William is a great young man," he told the New York Post. 

One wonders, however, if Trump's allegiances have more to do with his own interests than with the princes themselves. He's naturally drawn to people in power, particularly ones who can further his goals for the country and for his personal ventures. As a nonworking royal, Harry has nothing to offer the president, whereas William is a heartbeat away from the British throne. Trump also enjoys putting on a power display and hanging with those willing to defer to him. This was evident in Trump's body language with Prince William when they met in Paris during the rededication of Notre Dame Cathedral. He shook the prince's hand while turning toward the reporters, and made sure to be the one to let go first. Royal tactfulness is yet another factor: If William has any negative opinions of the re-elected POTUS, he keeps them to himself. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is similarly close-lipped, not unlike First Lady Melania Trump.

As of this writing, the visa case has yet to reach a court ruling. But regardless of the outcome, it looks like Harry and Meghan will be staying in the country where they're free to speak out against the president, whether he likes it or not.