Trump Disses Prince Harry at Windsor Banquet, Praises Charles and William

LONDON — President Donald Trump used a Windsor Castle state banquet on Wednesday to praise King Charles III and Prince William, while making no reference to Prince Harry, who was not in attendance. The former president attended with Melania Trump, and his remarks were delivered during the dinner, focusing on the royal couple and the enduring ties between the United States and the United Kingdom.

In his remarks, Trump credited Charles with having raised a remarkable son in the Prince of Wales and predicted an extraordinary future for William. He also complimented Kate Middleton as radiant, healthy, and beautiful, and he described William as a leader with a bright future. He praised Charles for helping wounded veterans like nobody else and labeled the heir as remarkable and amazing. The Trump couple said they have gotten to know William since arriving in England. The visit comes as William continues to engage on veteran related issues. Harry, the Duke of Sussex, founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to support wounded service members, a focus that continued during his recent trip to Ukraine where he met wounded veterans and spoke about doing everything possible to help them.

Trump has a long history of public tensions with Harry and Meghan, and the Windsor event was viewed through that broader lens. In 2020 the then president said the United States would not pay for the couple’s security when they moved to California, despite the couple having no firm plan to ask for U.S. protection and instead making private arrangements. Two years later he told a television host that Harry had been whipped like no person he had ever seen. When back in office in 2024, Trump suggested the former military pilot could be deported over drug usage mentioned in his Spare memoir, saying that if he lied on his immigration application authorities would take appropriate action and that special privileges would not be granted. He later walked back some of those remarks in February.

Eric Trump, the former president’s son, has also drawn headlines for comments about the ex-royals, including a remark in which he said he did not care much about Prince Harry and Meghan and called them spoiled apples. Meghan Markle, who had been critical of Trump before joining the royal family, criticized him in a 2016 interview on The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore, describing his worldview as divisive and misogynistic before later elaborating that she had not spoken publicly in some time about his remarks.

Harry’s absence from the Windsor banquet drew attention, and the event underscored the enduring public dynamic between the royal family and former U.S. leaders, as well as the ongoing spotlight on the Invictus Games and veteran advocacy. The night’s focus on Charles and William amid Trump’s remarks highlighted the broader narratives surrounding royal diplomacy and cross‑Atlantic political discourse.