Meghan Markle skipping President Trump's Buckingham Palace visit -- again
As President Donald Trump makes his second visit to Buckingham Palace this year, Meghan Markle once again won't be there.
The president is expected to attend a drinks reception at the palace during his two-day trip to London for a NATO summit. While Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are set to welcome Trump and other world leaders at the reception, Meghan, Prince Harry and Prince William will not be there.
People reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are skipping the event because it falls during their six-week hiatus from official royal duties, which was announced in November and also means that they'll miss Queen Elizabeth's annual Christmas celebration at Sandringham.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to extended family time towards the end of this month," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "Having spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham, Their Royal Highnesses will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the Duchess’ mother Doria Ragland. This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the Royal Family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen."
Meanwhile, William's absence during Trump's visit to the palace will be due to his four-day solo tour of the Middle East that involves him visiting Kuwait and Oman.
Trump paid his first visit to Buckingham Palace back in June, during his official state visit to the United Kingdom. While Harry attended a private lunch with the Trump family -- where onlookers said that he noticeably "hung back" from the first family -- Meghan opted out of the official events, as their visit came less than a month after she had given birth to her first child, Archie Harrison.
Also on that visit, all of Donald Trump's children attended the Buckingham Palace State Banquet, much to the confusion of the public, as State Banquets are usually reserved for official members of administrations.
Adding fuel to the fire of Trump's visit in June was his reaction the week prior to comments that Meghan had made back in 2016, calling him "divisive" and misogynistic."
"I didn't know [she said] that," he reportedly said at the time. "What can I say? I didn't know that she was nasty."
The president later denied uttering the comment and has since offered advice for Meghan amid her struggle with the way she's been treated by the international media.
"Well, I've been watching her interviews and I've seen it, and she's taken it very personally," Trump said during an interview with LBC's Nigel Farage at the end of October. "I guess you have to be a little bit different than that."
"But she takes it very, very personally, and I can understand it," he added. "But I don't know her. I will say I've met Harry, he's great. He is really a fine young man, the whole family is terrific."
