While senior members of the Royal Family were busy putting on a united front for the American President, Meghan Markle drew attention to her brand with her latest As Ever promotional post.
As her husband’s family lived the high life at the glittering Windsor Castle state banquet, the Duchess of Sussex took to her company’s Instagram page to share a snapshot of herself tending to the strawberry plants in her garden.
Dressed in a simple blue dress and a brown fedora hat, Meghan looked chic as she worked in her tranquil garden, offering her followers a rare glimpse into her life outside of the spotlight in Montecito.
Subtly promoting her ongoing business ventures, Meghan captioned the post: ‘Seasons shift, but the garden stays magic.’
After weeks in the headlines amid Harry’s recent high-profile visit to London, the couple have been in Montecito this week 5,000-plus miles from where it was all happening in Windsor Castle.
However, the US President appeared to take a veiled double swipe at Prince Harry during his speech yesterday evening, describing William as the King’s ‘remarkable son’ and ‘really amazing’ – with no mention of his brother Harry.
Trump and the Sussexes have had an antagonistic relationship that dates back to 2016 when Meghan – then a cast member on Suits – called him ‘misogynistic’ and ‘divisive’ during a talk show appearance and expressed support for failed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Three years later, Trump responded in kind when he described the Duchess of Sussex as ‘nasty’ in an interview ahead of his 2019 state visit to the UK.
The Duchess of Sussex took to her As Ever Instagram page to share a snapshot of herself tending to the strawberry plants in her private garden, as the royal family welcomed visiting President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania to the UK at a State banquet on Wednesday night
The president later clarified that he ‘wasn’t referring to her as “she’s nasty” – I said she was nasty about me.
‘And essentially, I didn’t know she was nasty about me. So, I said, but you know what, she’s doing a good job, I hope she enjoys her life,’ Trump added.
On that occasion, Prince Harry took part in the hosting duties but Meghan was again conspicuous by her absence – citing the recent birth of Prince Archie, now six, for not attending.
Then, in 2020 living in California, the couple spoke out during the election, hinting at support for President Biden while Harry issued a warning about ‘hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity’.
Trump responded again, this time in a White House press conference in which he said of Meghan ‘I’m not a fan of hers’ while wishing Harry ‘a lot of luck, because he’s going to need it.’
Although the bad blood settled down during the four years of the Biden administration, Harry’s revelations in autobiography Spare that he had taken drugs caused a potential visa problem – with the Heritage Foundation filing a freedom of information request in 2024 that sought to discover whether Harry had disclosed his narcotic use while applying for a US visa.
That resulted in a newly inaugurated Trump being asked in February whether he would deport Harry if he was found to have lied during immigration proceedings.
The president, who has made no secret of his distaste for Meghan, replied: ‘I don’t want to do that. I’ll leave him alone. He’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible.’
US President Donald Trump delivered his speech last night as King Charles III and the Princess of Wales listen during the state banquet at Windsor Castle for his state visit
Queen Camilla, King Charles III, Donald Trump and Melania Trump at Windsor Castle last night
The state banquet was hosted by King Charles III and members of the Royal Family last night
Mr Trump has also previously been publicly critical of Harry and Meghan, accusing them of treating the late Queen Elizabeth II ‘very disrespectfully’.
He lambasted the King’s younger son and Meghan, accusing them of treating the late Queen ‘very disrespectfully’.
Fitzwilliams says that while Trump is unlikely to want to damage his close relationship with King Charles and the Prince of Wales, his unpredictability means that the Sussexes can’t be sure that he won’t change his mind.
In his speech at the Royal dinner, he acknowledged the King’s son William, but Harry got nary a word.
Mr Trump also spoke highly of Prince William, describing him as the King’s ‘remarkable son’ and ‘really amazing’ – with no mention of his brother Harry.
He said: ‘I just want to say that His Majesty has also raised a remarkable son in His Royal Highness, Prince of Wales. Really amazing. We’ve gotten to know you and I think you’re going to have an unbelievable success in future.
‘Melania and I are delighted to visit again with Prince William and to see Her Royal Highness, Princess Catherine, so radiant and so healthy, so beautiful.’
The US President claimed the monarch had helped wounded veterans ‘like nobody else’ during last night’s dinner at Windsor Castle for his second historic state visit.
Prince Harry in London on September 10 where he met Steve Arnold, who lost both his legs in an IED blast in Afghanistan in 2011 and took part in the 2014 and 2017 Invictus Games
Prince Harry meets injured soldiers at the Superhumans Centre in Lviv, Ukraine, in April
Prince Harry meets wounded American veterans at an Invictus Games event in Virginia in 2016
This is despite former Army captain Harry having had had huge success and impact by founding the Invictus Games – a sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans, which takes place every two years – in 2014.
Just last week the Duke of Sussex was in Ukraine for talks on improving support for serving personnel and veterans with life-changing injuries who are returning home.
But the 47th American president said yesterday evening of the King: ‘He has uplifted the poor, cared for rural farmers, and tended to wounded veterans like nobody else.’
The Duke had been on a solo trip to Britain last week where he attended a series of events linked to charities including WellChild and Children In Need, as well as his Invictus Games Foundation – then went home via Ukraine, well before the Trumps arrived.
In last night’s speech, Mr Trump also told the guests gathered in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall: ‘Seen from American eyes the word special does not begin to do it justice.’
He went on to say: ‘We’re joined by history and faith, by love and language and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny.
‘We’re like two notes in one chord or two verses of the same poem, each beautiful on its own, but really meant to be played together. The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal.’
A series of welcomes, poignant moments and spectacular ceremonial displays were held for the president and First Lady Melania Trump during the opening day of the state visit as the Royal Family used its ‘soft diplomacy’ to strengthen the UK’s ties with one of its most enduring allies.
William and Kate were deployed at the start of the royal charm offensive to greet the Trumps first when they arrived at Windsor Castle by helicopter.
And around 1,500 troops in total were involved in ceremonial military events throughout the day – almost double those on duty for the recent state visit of France’s President Emmanuel Macron.
The US leader had an affinity with Queen Elizabeth II, who hosted his first state visit, and during the afternoon he laid a wreath at her tomb in the castle’s St George’s Chapel joined by the First Lady.
In his speech Mr Trump described his second state visit to the UK as a ‘singular privilege’ adding later ‘but this is truly one of the highest honours of my life, such respect for you and such respect for your country’.
The President’s words were echoed by Charles who spoke of the ‘enduring bond between our two great nations’ that has been ‘long called ‘special” and went on to describe how it grew from two sworn enemies fighting against each other in the American Revolutionary War.
‘Today, however, we celebrate a relationship between our two countries that surely neither Washington nor King George III could possibly have imagined.
‘The ocean may still divide us, but in so many ways we are now the closest of kin.’
