Piers Morgan calls Meghan's absence during Trump state visit 'shameful'

Piers Morgan has dubbed the Duchess of Sussex’s absence during President Donald Trump’s state visit last week a “shameful failure of her royal duty.”

His scathing comments come after Meghan, 37, made her first public appearance since having son Archie at Trooping the Colour on Saturday, to mark the Queen’s official birthday.

Her husband Harry, 34, attended a private lunch with Mr and Mrs Trump during their three-day visit, while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were present at the state banquet.

“She’s the only American in the British royal family, and the leader of HER country was here in her adopted country as a guest of Her Majesty the Queen,” the presenter wrote in his column for Mail Online.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle's first public appearance since Archie's birth at Trooping the Colour

“So call me suspicious, but I don’t think her absence from Trump’s visit had anything to do with her baby, and everything to do with her dislike of her President,” he added.

The duchess gave birth to son Archie on May 6, 2019 and has been enjoying the first few weeks of motherhood quietly at home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

In the lead-up to Trump’s state visit, he found out that Meghan had described him as “misogynistic” and joked that she might stay in Canada (she was filming ‘Suits’ in Toronto at the time) if he was elected.

On learning about her comments, Donald Trump said: “I didn’t know she was nasty.”

Morgan was then granted an interview with the president during his visit and asked him if he thought Meghan was ‘nasty’ or not. Trump contested that he thinks she is “very nice” and is “doing a good job”.

READ MORE: Why Meghan and Harry stood at the back of the balcony at Trooping the Colour

“They said some of the things that she said and It’s actually on tape,” he told Morgan.

“And I said: ‘Well, I didn’t know she was nasty’. I wasn’t referring to she’s nasty. I said she was nasty about me. And essentially I didn’t know she was nasty about me.”

Morgan argues that Meghan should have put her duty above her feelings: “Well, I’ve got news for you Ms Markle: you’re in the firm now, and that means doing your duty when it is required.”

He added that the Queen has “hosted all manner of ghastly people on state visits to the UK,” including Vladimir Putin and Robert Mugabe, but “she understood that her personal feelings were of secondary important to the national interest of her country.”

It’s understood that the Duchess of Sussex will not resume her royal duties until autumn at least, mirroring the maternity leave of that of her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge.

Mum-of-three Kate took six months off after having Prince Louis last April and while she was present at Meghan and Harry’s wedding, Trooping the Colour and Wimbledon, she did not carry out public duties in an official capacity.

While Trooping the Colour is a public event, a royal source told Town & Country magazine that it is very much a “family moment.”

Indeed it is one of those rare occasions when most of the Queen’s extended family as well as her immediate, join her on the balcony at Buckingham Palace and the public are also given a glimpse of the youngest members of the family.

Royal fans have also hit back at Morgan’s comments on Twitter.

Zaithwa M tweeted: “Royal duty is work, going to your husband’s grandma’s birthday surely is not [sic].”

Darren Bovill added: “How dare Meghan Markle have a baby and spend time with her new born....[sic]”

This week, Harry will attend the Sentebale Audi concert to raise money for the charity, which supports children and young people affected by HIV and AIDS in Lesotho, Botswana and Malawi.