In the VENN diagram of royalists, MAGA Americans, ultra-conservative British political commentators and tabloid hacks, there’s a TON of overlap. You would think that all of those groups would be pleased as punch with King Charles and Camilla’s “successful” US state visit. The king and queen did not face significant protests, the Jeffrey Epstein issue was a relatively minor blip, the state dinner was tacky AF but there was no major incident, and Donald and Melania Trump didn’t malfunction too badly. Just call it a win and keep it moving, right? So tell me why that overlapping VENN diagram has spent the past 24 hours glitching out about Prince Harry and Meghan? Why are British ultra-conservative commentators huffing about “this shows why Harry was wrong to leave” and “Meghan is so jealous she couldn’t be part of this!” Why is today’s Daily Mail cover focused on what Donald Trump said about Harry and Meghan? It’s true- Robert Hardman got a private audience with Trump in the Oval Office, and the Mail turned Trump’s offhand comment about Harry and Meghan into their big headline. Pitiful.
It’s late in the day and I am the last visitor on the President’s schedule. But he is in exuberant form, clearly buoyed by the success of this week’s state visit of the King and Queen who will be saying farewell in the morning. ‘We’ve done a good job with the King, right?’ he says. I reply that the British team seem overjoyed by the success of this trip.
‘He’s a great guy, he really is,’ he says, adding warm tributes to the Prince and Princess of Wales. He is less complimentary about the Sussexes.
… Talk turns to his fondness for his royal visitors and he checks his schedule for the official departure the following day when the King and Queen will head on to Virginia and thence back over the Atlantic.
‘It’s been unbelievable,’ he reflects, before asking after the Prince and Princess of Wales.
‘William, he’ll be a good King, won’t he?’ he says. ‘He’s very nice. A great guy. I like him.’
I observe that one of the Prince’s key priorities is not just his role as heir to the Throne but that of ensuring the next royal generation want to embrace their destiny. ‘The kids are good kids, right?’ he nods.
‘So can Harry make a comeback?’ he asks. I say that any return to the royal fold is looking highly unlikely.
‘Too many things, I guess,’ he sighs. ‘That wife of his. Boy, what she’s done to that guy.’
I say that the couple were clearly unhappy with the royal hierarchy. ‘I guess she got blocked out by William’s wife,’ the President continued, as he reflected on the ‘perfect’ performance of the Princess of Wales.
‘How’s she doing? She’s so great. She was sick, people said crazy things about her and she was so brave.’
I don’t like to admit this, but every now and then, Trump’s dementia-addled mind accidentally spits out one truth in a cavalcade of lies and racism. “I guess she got blocked out by William’s wife.” Woof. Kate, like Camilla, is another snake in the grass and even dipsh-t Trump knows that. Beyond that, Trump just enjoys royal gossip. He’s always been into royal gossip – you should hear what he used to say about Charles and Diana in the 1990s. Anyway, curious that the Mail put “That wife of his” on their cover and not Trump praising The Other Brother.
The King had a wonderful visit to the US, Trump was on best behaviour. The author of this piece, Robert Hardman, has just received a ringing endorsement for his book from Trump.
That book, incidentally, celebrates Elizabeth II.
But this is their headline.
Utterly deranged. pic.twitter.com/DCdC88x1iv
— Petina Gappah (@VascoDaGappah) May 1, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
