WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said he was glad Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had left the United States -- while adding that if he were part of the British royal family, he would not have taken them back.
Trump accused Meghan of being "terribly disrespectful" to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in his first reaction since the prince and his American wife moved back to Britain from California.
The A-list celebrity couple is now settling in back in Harry's homeland, six years after they stepped down as working royals and left for the United States amid bitter acrimony with his family.
"I'm happy about it. I was not a fan," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked what he thought about Harry and Meghan's departure.
READ: From Montecito to the Cotswolds: Harry and Meghan eye new UK home
"I thought they treated the royal family with great disrespect. I didn't like it. I didn't like the way she acted. I thought she was terribly disrespectful to the Queen, to King Charles."
Harry appeared to have mended relations with his father, King Charles III, who is battling cancer, during more recent UK visits.
Harry reportedly remains estranged from Prince William, his brother and heir to the throne, and William's wife Catherine.
Trump said he wouldn't have been so forgiving.
READ: Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK: British press
"Maybe I'm different. I wouldn't have taken him back, right? If I were the royal family, I would not have taken them back," said Trump.
The 80-year-old former reality TV star has previously traded barbs with Meghan on a number of occasions.
On the eve of a state visit to Britain in 2019 during his first term, Trump denied that he had called Meghan "nasty," despite the comment being clearly audible on a tape of an interview with a tabloid.
She had in turn been critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, calling him "misogynistic" and "divisive."
Trump again seemed stung when Meghan commented ahead of the 2020 election, which he lost, saying he was "not a fan" and adding: "I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he's going to need it."
- AFP