“I think it’s sad,” he said of their decision in a Friday interview with Laura Ingraham of Fox News. “She’s a great woman. She’s never made a mistake, if you look. She’s had like a flawless time.”
During the interview, Ingraham asked the president: “You think Harry should go back, come back [to the family]?”
“Well, I think, you know, I don’t want to get into the whole thing,” he responded. “But I find it, I just have such respect for the Queen. I don’t think this should be happening to her.”
On Wednesday, those close to the Duchess of Sussex took to Instagram to share an official announcement from the couple, writing:
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, 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 post went on to suggest that the couple would be dividing their time between the U.K. and North America, and that they would be sharing additional details as the “next chapter” in their lives unfolds.
Shortly after the news set off a social media firestorm, Buckingham Palace released a press statement of its own:
“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.”
As InStyle noted Saturday: “Trump’s siding with the Queen shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, especially considering his outspoken views on Meghan in the past.”
Last year, the president called the former actress “nasty” because of comments she made during a 2016 interview on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, criticizing him as “misogynistic” and “divisive” during his campaign.
Meanwhile, a palace source has reportedly told BBC News royal correspondent Jonny Dymond that Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the royal family feel “hurt” by both Harry and Meghan’s sudden announcement and supposedly by the fact they had not been consulted.
