Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were mocked on Saturday Night Live as host Colin Jost made a brutal joke about the couple.
Over the weekend, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex looked exceptionally happy as they attended Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour in Los Angeles. Meghan even shared affectionate photos from their night out.
But they were at the centre of a savage SNL quip last night as Jost delivered a breakdown of the week’s major news stories.
During the event, the host made a playful comment about the ongoing UK-US trade agreement involving Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. The presenter quipped about President Trump’s announcement of a new trade deal that will give American companies access to British markets once again.
‘All that Britain demands in return is that we keep these two,’ as a photo of Harry and Meghan appeared on the screen behind him.
This development is seen as another indication of America distancing itself from the Sussexes, who renounced their roles as working royals and relocated to the US for a fresh start in 2020.
While US media outlets initially gave every indication they would support Harry and Meghan when they moved to the super-wealthy Californian enclave of Montecito, their tune appears to have changed.
From their relationship being launched on the front page of Vanity Fair with the headline ‘She’s just wild about Harry!’ in 2018 to their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, the Sussexes were used to being painted in a positive light.
Harry and Meghan returned to the Vanity Fair front page in February – but this time it reflected that even America was struggling to be Team Sussex.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were mocked on Saturday Night Live yesterday as host Colin Jost (right) made a brutal joke about the couple
Meghan Markle shared a series of cosied up snaps of her and Prince Harry enjoying Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter tour this weekend
The presenter made the joke as a photo of Harry and Meghan appeared on the screen behind him
They ran an explosive 8,000-word expose headlined ‘American Hustle’ in which contributing editor Anna Peele spoke to ‘dozens’ of sources connected to the couple who labelled the Sussexes as the ‘most entitled, disingenuous people on the planet’.
The magazine stated that the Duchess of Sussex could be ‘really, really awful’ when things did not go her way.
Citing multiple sources who have worked for the Sussexes since they quit Britain five years ago, Meghan would be ‘warm and effusive’ towards employees before turning ‘cold and withholding toward the person she perceived to be responsible’ when something went wrong.
Things ‘went poorly, often due to Meghan and Harry’s own demands’, one insider claimed.
But their marriage is rock solid, a source has said, declaring ‘their love is real’ and they are still ‘hot for each other’.
Harry once again threw the breakdown of his relationship with his family back into the limelight with an explosive interview after he lost his court battle over the levels of security he and his family are entitled to while they are in the UK.
On May 2, he lost his attempt to overturn the Home Office’s decision at the Court of Appeal – a ruling he has since furiously described as a ‘good old-fashioned Establishment stitch-up’.
Harry’s bombshell interview with the BBC has been met with a wave of criticism after he complained that his cancer-stricken father, King Charles, ‘won’t speak to me’ and claimed he ‘doesn’t know how much longer he has left’.
Just days later, a YouGov poll revealed that Harry is the second most popular living member of the Royal Family among Americans – behind only his brother Prince William.
William, Harry, Princess Catherine and King Charles were all more popular than Meghan, the only US citizen on the list, whose ratings were 41 per cent positive and 25 per cent negative.
‘All that Britain demands in return is that we keep these two,’ Jost joked on the show
The Sussexes pose for a series of smiley pictures, while donning cowboy hats in keeping with the tour’s theme
Just days after Harry returned home from London, the Duke and Duchess danced the night away this weekend at the fifth night of Beyoncé’s tour in California.
Meghan met Beyonce and her husband Jay Z at the London premiere of The Lion King in 2019 and have stayed friends since.
But the duchess and Harry had a cringe-inducing meeting with the couple after they met up on the red carpet and engaged in small talk.
Things started well with Beyoncé reportedly calling Meghan ‘my princess’. However, things took an awkward turn when the Sussexes spoke to the film’s director Jon Favreau and appeared to ask him if there were any voiceover roles available for Meghan.
Video of the encounter showed Beyoncé covering her face before uncomfortably looking away, with social media users suggesting she was cringing over the exchange.
There was to be a similar exchange later in the evening when Prince Harry touted his wife’s acting chops to Disney CEO Bob Iger.
During conversation, Harry asks: ‘You do know she does voiceovers?’
Iger can be heard replying: ‘Ah, I did not know that.’ Harry then responds: ‘You seem surprised. She’s really interested.’ The Disney chief then says: ‘We’d love to try. That’s a great idea.’
This time around, Meghan and Harry were among thousands of fans who crowded into the SoFi Stadium on Friday as the artist performed her last show in LA before heading to Chicago.
Afterwards, Beyoncé shared a photograph of the royals on her website, capturing the grinning couple as they cosied up inside the luxurious VIP lounge to watch the Crazy in Love singer perform.
The Duchess of Sussex also took to her own Instagram, sharing a glimpse of her and Harry’s night on the town among the crowds of adoring fans, with the Duke planting a kiss on her cheek during the show.
Meghan shared a series of smiley snaps of herself, Harry and friends, sporting cowboy hats, in keeping with the tour’s theme, as they swayed to various hits from the Cowboy Carter album.
Another short video showed the Duchess appear emotional while she cheers on the superstar songstress as she sings her hit song 16 carriages, while sitting on a floating American-style car.
Alongside the series of jubilant photos, she penned: ‘About last night… Thank you Beyonce and team for an amazing concert (and a very fun date night) All love.’
Fans also snuck footage of Prince Harry from nearby seats, with the Duke shuffling around as his wife danced in front of him.
Following Beyonce’s cowboy dress code, Meghan sported a tight denim dress, while Harry wore a dark green cowboy hat with ‘My Love’, Lili and Archie inscribed inside alongside a US and UK flag.
She wore her hair up for the night, and was later spotted wearing her husband’s hat as the concert amped up with a remixed rendition of Texas Hold ‘Em.
The Halo singer – who kicked off her tour just over year and a half after she wrapped up her whirlwind Renaissance World Tour – has welcomed Harry and Meghan to her shows previously.
In 2023, the royals attended the Renaissance World Tour, also at the SoFi Stadium, where Prince Harry once again appeared less than impressed – and more interested in his phone.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had attended the concert to celebrate the 67th birthday of Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland – but this was far from the first time the royal couple had crossed paths with Beyoncé.
In fact, in 2019, Queen Bey accepted a Brit Award in front of a portrait showing Meghan as a royal version of the Mona Lisa.
In a post explaining why they had decided to put Meghan in the frame, the power couple wrote: ‘In honour of Black History Month, we bow down to one of our Melanated Monas. Congrats on your pregnancy! We wish you so much joy.’
Beyoncé publicly praised Meghan’s bravery after the Sussexes’ bombshell interview with Oprah, during which the Duchess claimed to have been subjected to racist treatment within the Royal Family.
Beyoncé posted on her website: ‘Thank you Meghan for your courage and leadership. We are all strengthened and inspired by you.’
In one episode of their Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex claimed to have received a supportive text from Queen Bey.
She told the camera crew: ‘Beyoncé just texted, just checking in… I still can’t believe she knows who I am…’ She said she wants me to feel safe and protected.
‘She admires and respects my bravery and vulnerability and thinks I was selected to break generational curses that need to be healed.’
