Harry and Meghan’s UK Return Draws Brutal Verdict From the US President — ‘I Would Not Have Taken Them Back’

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be beginning a new chapter in Britain, but their departure from the United States has prompted a particularly unforgiving response from the US President.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on September 2, the President said he was “happy” about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocating to Harry’s home country with their children.

“I was not a fan,” he said.

He then turned his attention to the couple’s turbulent history with the Royal Family, accusing them of showing “great disrespect” toward the monarchy and singling out Meghan’s treatment of the late Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles.

But it was his verdict on their return that proved especially striking.

“If I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back,” he said.

The US President delivers a harsh assessment

Harry and Meghan officially arrived in England with Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, on August 26, shortly after their plans to relocate from California became public.

Asked about the move, the President made no attempt to hide his feelings.

After saying he was pleased about their return to Britain, he contrasted his opinion of the Sussexes with his relationship with senior members of the Royal Family.

He said he had enjoyed a “very good relationship” with Queen Elizabeth and described King Charles as someone he had known for a long time.

“He’s a great, great guy,” the President said.

His comments about Harry and Meghan were considerably sharper.

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

Meghan singled out over treatment of Queen Elizabeth and Charles

The President focused much of his criticism on Meghan.

“I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the way she acted,” he told reporters.

He went on to say that he believed the Duchess had been “terribly disrespectful” to both Queen Elizabeth and King Charles.

The remarks add another chapter to a long-running public clash between the President and Meghan that began years before Harry and his family decided to return to Britain.

However, his suggestion that the Royal Family should not have “taken them back” does not mean the Sussexes are returning to their previous positions within the monarchy.

Their relocation is a private family move rather than a restoration of their former royal roles.

Harry and Meghan are back in Britain — but not as working royals

The Sussexes plan to establish a private, non-royal residence in Britain as their home base for an extended period.

Archie and Lilibet are due to attend school in the UK, while Harry and Meghan will continue to maintain their California home and vacation property in Portugal.

Their dogs, Pula and Mia, also accompanied the family to England.

King Charles was reportedly informed about their plans on August 16.

The monarch is understood to welcome the prospect of seeing more of Harry and his grandchildren privately, but the family’s return does not alter Harry and Meghan’s official status.

They remain non-working members of the Royal Family.

There is no suggestion that the “half-in, half-out” arrangement rejected when they stepped away from senior duties is being revived.

The King’s approach appears very different

The contrast between the President’s reaction and Charles’ reported position is notable.

While the President said he personally would not have welcomed Harry and Meghan back, Charles is said to see their relocation as an opportunity for more private contact with his son’s family.

That distinction matters.

The Sussexes are not being brought back into the institution as working representatives of the monarchy. Instead, their physical return to Britain could make ordinary family contact considerably easier.

For Charles, that potentially means spending more time with Archie and Lilibet after years in which they were primarily based thousands of miles away in California.

Whether the same improvement will occur between Harry and Prince William remains far less certain.

William and Harry’s rift remains unresolved

Harry’s return puts him geographically much closer to his older brother, but there has been no confirmation that the move has produced a breakthrough between them.

William and Harry have endured a highly publicized breakdown in their relationship following the Sussexes’ departure from royal duties and the series of interviews and projects that followed.

The brothers were last publicly photographed together with their wives following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022.

Their strained relationship has remained one of the biggest questions surrounding Harry’s renewed life in Britain.

The US President has previously commented on the dispute himself.

Meghan has faced criticism from the President for years

The latest Oval Office remarks are hardly the first indication of tension between Meghan and the President.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Meghan — then best known for playing Rachel Zane on Suits — publicly described him as “misogynistic” and “divisive.”

Three years later, he attracted headlines after appearing to describe her as “nasty” when told about those earlier comments, although he subsequently denied that characterization.

The disagreement has continued long after Meghan left acting and joined the Royal Family.

Earlier in 2026, the President again discussed the Duchess while speaking privately with royal biographer Robert Hardman.

‘That wife of his’

Hardman met privately with the President during King Charles and Queen Camilla’s state visit to the United States in April.

Their conversation eventually turned to the fractured relationship between Harry and William.

When Hardman suggested that Harry finding his way back into the royal fold appeared “highly unlikely,” the President responded: “Too many things, I guess.”

He then turned his attention toward Meghan.

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

He also appeared to reference Catherine, Princess of Wales, suggesting Meghan had been “blocked out” by William’s wife.

The comments provided another indication of where the President believes responsibility lies for the Sussexes’ troubled relationship with the wider Royal Family.

Harry’s Ukraine speech sparked another exchange

Tensions surfaced again following Harry’s surprise visit to Ukraine in April.

Speaking at the Kyiv Security Forum, the Duke called for stronger American leadership without referring to the President by name.

Harry argued that the United States held a unique responsibility because of its role in assurances surrounding Ukraine’s sovereignty and borders after the country surrendered its nuclear weapons.

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

Asked about the Duke’s remarks later that day, the President initially responded with another reference to Meghan.

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

He then said Harry was “not speaking for the U.K.”

A new chapter for Archie and Lilibet

Away from the political exchanges, the Sussexes’ relocation represents a significant change for their two children.

Archie and Lilibet have spent most of their lives in California, but are now preparing to attend school in Britain.

Their return also places them much closer to their grandfather King Charles and their royal cousins.

The family nevertheless intends to maintain its international lifestyle rather than abandon its American connections completely.

Their California residence remains part of their plans, as does their vacation property in Portugal.

The move therefore appears to represent an extended British base rather than a complete severing of ties with the United States.

No royal restoration despite dramatic return

Perhaps the biggest misconception surrounding the Sussexes’ move is that returning to Britain automatically means returning to royal life.

It does not.

The arrangement agreed after Harry and Meghan stepped back from senior duties remains in place, and Charles is reportedly determined to preserve that distinction.

The couple can live in Britain, raise their children there and rebuild private family relationships without resuming official duties on behalf of the Crown.

That makes the President’s remarks particularly striking.

Harry and Meghan may not have been “taken back” into the monarchy in an institutional sense at all.

But when asked about their departure from America and renewed life in Britain, the US President still delivered an unmistakably personal verdict.

He was “happy” to see them go — and if he had been making the decision for the Royal Family, he says he would not have welcomed them back.