Why Meghan Markle Is Being Accused of Using Donald Trump to Spark Divorce From Prince Harry

OK! can reveal Meghan Markle is being accused of deliberately baiting Donald Trump at a perilous moment for Prince Harry, as scrutiny intensifies over whether the duke's U.S. visa could be jeopardized by his admissions of drug use in his memoir Spare.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, posted a pointed Instagram Story showing her husband, Harry, 41, serving in Afghanistan, alongside images from the Invictus Games, just hours after the U.S. president, 79, recently dismissed the role of NATO troops in the conflict and implied British soldiers dodged the front lines.

The timing of the post, sources say, is fueling claims Meghan is escalating political tensions while her husband faces a renewed immigration probe in the United States.

Trump recently triggered outrage after telling Fox News NATO forces had stayed "a little off the frontlines" in Afghanistan and adding: "We've never needed them."

Harry responded publicly, saying: "I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there… thousands of lives were changed for ever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost. Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect, as we all remain united and loyal to the defence of diplomacy and peace."

Meghan's decision to amplify her husband's military service was widely read as solidarity, but insiders claim it also carried a sharper edge.

One source close to the couple said: "Posting those images when Trump is already under fire was a calculated move. Meghan knows exactly how provocative invoking Afghanistan is in U.S. politics, especially when Harry's visa status is being questioned."

Harry served two tours in Afghanistan, first between 2007 and 2008 and again in 2012, when he flew Apache helicopters from Camp Bastion. In Spare, published in 2023, Harry disclosed he had killed 25 Taliban fighters and described his use of drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, earlier in his life.

Those revelations prompted a U.S.-based conservative think tank to file Freedom of Information Act requests demanding to know whether Harry had disclosed past drug use on his visa application.

American immigration law can render applicants inadmissible if they admit to drug use, though experts stress that waivers are common and that no action has been taken against Harry.

A legal source said: "There is no indication of imminent action, but the scrutiny is real. Public political provocation from Meghan will not help when discretion is involved."

Critics now argue Meghan's public stance risks aggravating that scrutiny.

Another source said: "At a time when Harry needs calm and caution, Meghan is poking the bear. Trump is famously vindictive, and tying Harry's military record to a rebuke of the president invites unnecessary attention."

Trump's comments were condemned across the U.K. political spectrum.

Al Carns, 46, the armed forces minister and a former commando, said Britain fought "shoulder to shoulder" with U.S. troops.

Calvin Bailey, 51, a Labour MP and former RAF wing commander, called the suggestion British forces avoided combat "for the birds." Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Trump of talking "flat-out nonsense."

Within royal-watching circles, the fallout from Meghan's post targeting Trump has revived speculation about strain between the Sussexes.

One palace source claimed: "Some see this as Meghan asserting her own agenda. There is a feeling she is daring events to escalate, even if that places Harry in a more vulnerable position."

And cynics are speculating if Harry gets removed from the U.S., it is the perfect way for Meghan to start divorce proceedings.