Trump takes subtle jab at Prince Harry as he praises William as King Charles' 'remarkable son'
WINDSOR, ENGLAND: President Donald Trump appeared to throw some shade at Prince Harry while speaking at Windsor Castle.
During his state banquet speech on Tuesday, September 16, the 47th president of the United States poured on the compliments for King Charles III and Prince William, calling the heir to the throne the monarch’s “remarkable son” and “really amazing.”
But Harry received no mention.
“I just want to say that His Majesty has also raised a remarkable son in His Royal Highness, Prince of Wales. Really amazing,” Trump gushed. “We’ve gotten to know you, and I think you’re going to have an unbelievable success in the future. Melania and I are delighted to visit again with Prince William and to see Her Royal Highness, Princess Catherine, so radiant and so healthy, so beautiful.”
Trump shouts out veterans, makes no mention of Invictus Games
Donald Trump also heaped praise on King Charles for his charitable work, especially his efforts to help wounded service members. However, he made no mention of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games, the very competition the Duke of Sussex created in 2014 to support injured and sick veterans.
The president told the Windsor crowd of Charles, “He has uplifted the poor, cared for rural farmers, and tended to wounded veterans like nobody else.”
This is despite Harry’s highly visible role on the veteran front. Just last week, he was in Ukraine meeting with officials to improve support for military personnel returning with life-changing injuries.
It’s not the first time Trump has snubbed the younger royal. He’s repeatedly criticized Harry and Meghan Markle for being “very disrespectful” to the late Queen Elizabeth II and once even called the latter “terrible.”
Back in February, when asked if Harry should be deported over drug use confessions in his memoir 'Spare', Trump played coy. “I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible," he remarked.
Meghan hasn’t exactly been quiet either, previously branding Trump “divisive” and a “misogynist.”
Harry and Meghan are now living in California, far from the pomp of Windsor. The duke slipped into the UK last week for a series of charity events tied to WellChild, Children In Need, and the Invictus Games Foundation before jetting to Ukraine.
Windsor pulls out all the stops
While Prince Harry was not in the picture, Prince William and Kate Middleton were front and center to greet the Trumps first after their helicopter touched down at Windsor Castle.
The royal family unleashed its full “soft diplomacy” arsenal, rolling out 1,500 troops (nearly double the show France’s Emmanuel Macron got during his recent state visit).
The first couple got the full royal treatment. They were given a ceremonial welcome, a banquet in St George’s Hall, and even a solemn moment at Queen Elizabeth’s tomb, where Trump laid a wreath with Melania by his side.
Calling the trip a “singular privilege,” Trump told his Windsor audience, “But this is truly one of the highest honors of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country.”
He gushed about the Anglo-American bond. “Seen from American eyes, the word special does not begin to do it justice," he said. "We’re joined by history and faith, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny. We’re like two notes in one chord or two verses of the same poem, each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together. The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal.”
