Being a member of the Royal Family means playing politics. From the moment they are born, royals by blood are trained to not ruffle too many feathers or make too many statements that eventually bite them in their royal bottoms.
However, those who marry into the Royal Family get no such training until they are married. And any statements they made in the past will potentially haunt them for years to come. This is something that Meghan Markle has learned all too well.
While there are plenty of scandals constantly surrounding Meghan, perhaps the strangest one concerns her thoughts on Ivanka Trump. What did Meghan say, and why do her words continue to haunt her? Let’s find out!
Meghan Markle praised Ivanka Trump on her blog
Once Donald Trump became president, life changed for Ivanka Trump in a few big ways. She became an official “Advisor to the President” and helped represent her country, sometimes on the national stage. She could no longer be just a pretty face or a girlboss entrepreneur… instead, her fate and her reputation were now officially tied to her famous father.
Put simply, Donald Trump’s reputation worsened over the course of his presidency, and so did Ivanka Trump’s. And that’s why Meghan Markle’s previous thoughts on Ivanka continue to haunt her.
Before she became a member of the Royal Family, Meghan Markle had a lifestyle blog called The Tig. And as Page Six reports, Meghan used that blog in 2014 to lavish unconditional praise on Ivanka Trump:
“Staggeringly beautiful, no question, but so incredibly savvy and intelligent that she’s not just carved a niche for herself under her father’s famed Trump notoriety, she has undoubtedly created her own empire.”
Meghan went on to write that she hoped to someday share some drinks with Ivanka. But that became less likely as soon as hostilities began between Meghan and Donald Trump.
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Meghan draws the battle lines with Donald Trump
Meghan may or may not regret her effusive praise of Ivanka Trump. But one person that she seemingly only had contempt for was Ivanka’s famous father, Donald Trump.
Back in 2016, amid Trump’s presidential campaign, Meghan made an appearance on The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore. There, she bluntly declared that Trump appeared “misogynistic” and speculated that his comments and behaviors would hurt him with female voters come election time.
Obviously, the 2016 election ended up going well for Donald Trump despite his behavior. However, the former president never forgets a slight against him, and after a few years, it was his turn to lash out at Meghan Markle.
Donald Trump’s grudge against Harry and Meghan
In 2020 and the wake of “Megxit,” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ended up moving to America. And the person least happy about that development was none other than Donald Trump.
As Variety points out, Trump took to Twitter to vent his thoughts on royals living in the United States. “The U.S. will not pay for their security protection. They must pay!” Later, Harry and Meghan clarified that they were willing and able to pay for their own security.
However, Donald Trump was just getting started. According to The Times, Trump went off about Harry and Meghan in a 2021 interview with British TV host Nigel Farage. “I think Harry has been used horribly and I think someday he will regret it,” he said. Then, turning his attention to Meghan and her efforts to get Congress to support paid parental leave, Trump said, “She is trying to do things that I think are very inappropriate.”
According to The Sun, Trump continued his rants when he appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored. “Poor Harry is being led around by his nose. And I think he’s an embarrassment,” Trump said before claiming Harry and Meghan’s marriage wouldn’t last. From a man currently on his third marriage, this was likely projection, but it shows how much he still resented Meghan’s comments back in 2016.
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Ivanka breaks ranks with Donald over Meghan
Donald Trump may forever resent Meghan’s comments against him back in 2016. But one person who doesn’t share that grudge is the same woman Meghan praised all those years ago: Ivanka Trump.
Back when Harry and Meghan got engaged in 2017, Ivanka was quick to offer both congratulations and praise on Twitter. “I have no doubt that this couple will do extraordinary things, both individually and collectively.”
Despite Ivanka’s kind words to Meghan and Meghan’s major praise of Ivanka, the two women never became friends or interacted in any significant way. The main reason for this seems to be that they are forever at odds over the matter of Donald Trump.
Meghan and Ivanka: forever at odds over Donald Trump
Meghan Markle made her thoughts on Donald Trump being “misogynistic” back in 2016. But as both Donald’s daughter and Advisor to the President, Ivanka felt compelled to stand up for her father, even on the matter of his alleged misogyny.
Less than a year after Meghan called Donald Trump misogynistic, Time reports that Ivanka appeared at the W20 Summit. There, she praised her father and used herself as an example of how well Donald Trump supported women.
This didn’t exactly go over well, and Ivanka received many “boos” from the audience. In this way, Meghan’s previous praise of Ivanka Trump came true in a very dark way. Meghan claimed that Ivanka had “carved a niche for herself under her father’s famed Trump notoriety.” Now, it seems that Donald Trump’s notoriety may forever bring Ivanka down and put her at odds with those like Meghan with whom she might have otherwise been close friends.