The recent Windsor state banquet for the US President carried all the hallmarks of royal grandeur: a golden carriage procession, opulent dining beneath chandeliers, and the kind of pageantry only Britain delivers.

But across the Atlantic in California, the Sussexes felt a sting. The grand celebration honored a man who had publicly mocked, insulted, and even threatened them.

A History of Tensions

The strained relationship between the Sussexes and the US President stretches back years, long before Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals. The state visit only rubbed salt in old wounds when, during his toast, the President singled out Prince William as Charles’s “remarkable son.”

According to Rob Shutter, writing on Substack, insiders in California saw it as an unmistakable slight. “So when Trump praised William as Charles’s ‘remarkable son’ during his state dinner toast — leaving Harry out — the Sussexes took it as a fresh slap,” he reported. One source said bluntly, “It was a dig, no question. Watching the family laugh along felt like betrayal.”

Adding to the tension, William had made time for Trump but had not met Harry just a week earlier — something the Duke reportedly perceived as another deliberate snub.

Past Insults Resurface

The Sussexes’ discomfort was compounded by the President’s long record of remarks aimed at them. Meghan was once dismissed as “nasty,” Harry mocked as “whipped,” and the Duke even threatened with the prospect of being removed from the US. Against that backdrop, watching the royal family welcome him with open arms and celebrate him as an honored guest felt, in their view, “unforgivable.”

As one of Harry’s friends put it: “Harry and Meghan won’t forget this night — or the message it sent.”

A Pattern of Disrespect Toward Royals

The President’s history of disparaging comments isn’t limited to the Sussexes. His fascination with Princess Diana in the 1990s raised eyebrows. Biographer Christopher Andersen alleged Trump “aggressively pursued” Diana after her separation from Charles, though her brother Charles Spencer later insisted she found him “repulsive.”

Similarly, in 2012, when topless photos of Kate Middleton on holiday were illegally published, Trump weighed in on Twitter. “Who wouldn’t take Kate’s picture and make lots of money… Come on, Kate!” he wrote, suggesting she had “herself to blame.”

Andersen revealed the remarks sparked outrage within the royal household. “Trump’s criticism of Kate resulted in what one Clarence House butler referred to as ‘torrents of profanity’ from both Prince Charles and his sons,” he said. Andersen added that Diana, too, had been the subject of Trump’s unwelcome commentary years earlier, drawing equal anger from the royals.