Harry and Meghan Stay Low as Trump Dines With Royal Family at Windsor

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not part of the Windsor Castle welcome as President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania hosted a state banquet with the royal family on Wednesday, with the couple remaining in their Montecito home. The moment underscored the Sussexes’ continued effort to keep a low profile after Harry’s recent high-profile visit to London and Meghan’s Netflix season two rollout.

Inside Windsor, the ceremonial spotlight fell on Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, as they moved through the formal pageantry. The Daily Mail notes that Harry and Meghan have been conspicuously absent from local haunts and social media in recent days.

The banquet was set for 160 guests and featured meticulous details, including a ballotine de poulet fermier en robe de courgettes, described on the menu as boneless free-range chicken wrapped in zucchini. Guests included tech mogul Tim Cook, media baron Rupert Murdoch and golfer Nick Faldo, underscoring the gala’s blend of royal ceremony and marquee names.

Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the Sussexes chose restraint to avoid overshadowing the state visit or provoking the U.S. president. “I’d be surprised if the Sussexes do anything this week that might annoy,” he told the Daily Mail, noting the ceremonial spectacle is designed to impress Trump and that personal theatrics could backfire.

The broader history between Trump and the couple stretches back to 2016, when Meghan spoke publicly about misogyny and division and Trump described her as “nasty” in a separate interview years later. The two sides have since had a complicated dance, with some mutual snubs and reconciliations taking place in fits and starts. In California, Meghan has largely stepped back from political discourse, while Harry has continued to evoke controversy in his revelations and interviews, though the couple themselves have appeared quiet on the Trump encounter.

Meghan has not visited the United Kingdom since September 2022, and the couple have used their time in the U.S. to promote projects like Meghan’s Netflix series. The piece also references past moments when the couple sought to travel with American officials, including a reported bid to join President Joe Biden on Air Force One after the Queen’s funeral in 2022 that was not granted, underscoring the fragility of any implied rapprochement.

Fitzwilliams emphasized that, even amid the glittering pageantry, serious national issues were being discussed and that the Sussexes would likely stay out of the spotlight to avoid complicating those talks. “This wouldn’t be the first time the couple has been snubbed by a U.S. president,” the royal expert noted, but he added that the current climate makes it unlikely they would risk drawing Trump’s attention away from the proceedings.

Past episodes in which the couple were discussed in relation to Trump’s presidency illustrate a long-running tug-of-war over attention, with Democrats and Republicans along different planes of interest. In 2022, for example, the couple reportedly sought to return to Washington during a period of mourning and international diplomacy, an effort that ultimately did not come to fruition. The dynamic remains a focal point of royal-watchers’ assessments of how the couple will navigate future high-profile events.