Donald Trump Mingles With Royalty, Minus Meghan Markle And Harry

Carly Ledbetter
Updated

President Donald Trump attended a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, alongside first lady Melania Trump.

Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, also attended the event, along with Prince Edward and Princess Anne.

But there were more than a few famous royals missing at the palace reception for NATO leaders.

Prince William was notably absent, as he is away on a solo trip to the Middle East. Prince Andrew was not there. He announced earlier this month that he was stepping away from royal duties because his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein had “become a major disruption to my family’s work.”

The Duchess of Cambridge greets guests at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 3 during a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the NATO alliance summit. (Photo: YUI MOK via Getty Images)
The Duchess of Cambridge greets guests at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 3 during a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II ahead of the NATO alliance summit. (Photo: YUI MOK via Getty Images)
Donald and Melania Trump at Buckingham Palace for a reception to mark 70 years of the NATO Alliance.  (Photo: POOL New / Reuters)
Donald and Melania Trump at Buckingham Palace for a reception to mark 70 years of the NATO Alliance.  (Photo: POOL New / Reuters)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also were not in attendance. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a six-week break from royal duties.

The palace in November that the couple, along with their son Archie, would not join the royal family at Sandringham for Christmas and that the queen approved of their decision. William and Kate have skipped royal Christmases before to spend time with family.

Queen Elizabeth talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  (Photo: POOL New / Reuters)
Queen Elizabeth talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  (Photo: POOL New / Reuters)
Leaders of NATO alliance countries, and its secretary general, join Britain's Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales for a group picture during the reception.  (Photo: POOL New / Reuters)
Leaders of NATO alliance countries, and its secretary general, join Britain's Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales for a group picture during the reception.  (Photo: POOL New / Reuters)

Meghan also missed meeting Trump during a visit in June, when she was on maternity leave. Harry met with the president during the trip, even after Trump called Meghan “nasty” for referring to him as “divisive” and “misogynistic” in an interview before she joined the royal family.

“I didn’t know that. What can I say? I didn’t know that she was nasty,” the president said in an interview with The Sun in June.

It wasn’t Trump’s first distasteful remark about a member of the royal family. He boasted shortly after the 1997 death of Princess Diana that he could’ve slept with her.

And when topless photos of the Duchess of Cambridge leaked in 2012, Trump tweeted that she “shouldn’t be sunbathing in the nude – only herself to blame.”

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.