Stony-faced Queen Elizabeth is seen for first time since Prince Harry, Meghan Markle bombshell

Donald Trump has made a subtle dig at Meghan and Harry after they announced they would be stepping back as senior members of the royal family.

Donald Trump has made a veiled swipe at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after they announced they would be stepping back as senior members of the royal family.

Asked for his opinion on the shock move, the President said the Queen doesn’t deserve what’s happening to her and that the situation is “so sad”.

The US President told Fox News: “I don’t want to get into the whole thing but I find it — I just have such respect for the Queen. I don’t think this should be happening to her.

“I think it’s sad, I do, I think it’s sad.”

At another point, he expressed his admiration for the 93-year-old monarch, saying: “She’s a great woman. She’s never made a mistake, if you look, I mean, she’s had like a flawless time.”

The President has spoken out against the Duchess in the past. Last year, before his visit to the UK, he called her “nasty” after she publicly criticised him during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Meanwhile the Queen has been has been spotted for the first time since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plunged the royal family into crisis mode with their bombshell announcement.

The 93-year-old appeared stony-faced as she drove her Range Rover on her Sandringham Estate, The Sun reports.

Fun fact: The Queen is the only person in the UK who is allowed to drive without a licence.

The Queen has been spotted driving back to Sandringham.

It appears one is not amused. Picture: Splash News

As the Queen remains holed up at Sandringham, more and more details about this week’s shock announcement have come to light.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were warned about a “slimmed-down monarchy” before being “driven out” of the royal family, journalist pal Tom Bradby claims.

The ITV News reporter also claimed the Palace were not “blindsided” by the couple’s bombshell announcement they were stepping down as senior royals.

Insiders have revealed the Queen, Prince William and Prince Charles only found about their decision minutes before it broke online.

Bradby, who fronted last year’s documentary, Harry and Meghan: An African Journey, told ITV News: “It’s certainly not true to say the palace were blindsided by this.

“The couple’s view was they came back and wanted to talk to the family about their plans.

“It had been made clear to them in their absence there was going to be a slimmed down monarchy and they weren’t really a part of it.”

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex leave Canada House in London. Picture: Matrix

Bradby also said the decision follows “really bad personal splits” within the royal family - with the couple feeling like they had been “driven out”.

And he warned it might it “looks like it might get worse, not better” for the moment unless the family can broker a “peace deal”.

He said: “There’ve been a lot of fallouts - a lot of harsh things were said around the time of the wedding. And it’s gone a bit too far.

“Certainly the rest of the family find Harry and Meghan very difficult and, from Harry and Meghan’s point of view, they’re just being driven out as they see it. And it’s sad.”

It comes after claims Meghan and Harry felt excluded from the recent “line of succession” photo which saw The Queen beaming alongside her heirs Prince George, Prince William and Prince Charles.

Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince George. Picture: Ranald Mackechnie via Getty Images

And Her Majesty didn’t have any photos of the couple or baby Archie on display during her Christmas message.

Pals have claimed Harry and Meghan felt “unwelcome” in the family and were sidelined as the monarchy moved towards a future focused on Prince William and Prince Charles.

This is despite the perks the pair have enjoyed since becoming royalty - including a $60 million wedding at Windsor Castle watched by millions of people across the globe.

ROYAL SPLIT

They had been due to take up residence in a large apartment at Kensington Palace but they instead moved into Frogmore Cottage after it saw a $4.5 million renovation paid for by the taxpayer.

Living at the Palace would have meant they were close to Prince William and Kate Middleton, who had attempted to make Meghan feel welcome by rolling out the red carpet in Christmas 2017.

But the “Fab Four” fell apart at the end of 2018 when Harry and Meghan quit the joint charitable foundation they were all part of amid rumours the two brothers were at war.

The fab four is no more. Picture: Tolga Akmen / AFP

The couple also snubbed the Queen at Christmas 2019 by choosing to jet away for the festive period with baby Archie instead of joining the royal family at Sandringham.

And they say they will be “financially independent” in their new lives - but will still be guarded by taxpayer-funded bodyguards.

Insiders now say Prince Harry has “completely changed” since meeting Meghan - said to be the driving force behind their choice.

The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William reportedly learned of Harry and Meghan’s decision when the news broke on TV.

Harry has now been called to crisis talks with his family while Meghan has headed back to Canada to rejoin baby Archie.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission