SNL mocks Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during King Charles's US tour

Saturday Night Live sharpened its comedic focus on King Charles III's historic American tour, targeting Meghan Markle with a "terrorist" label and ridiculing President Trump's ties to the King's disgraced brother, Andrew. The sketch comedy program mocked the relationship of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as part of its risky lineup of jokes surrounding the monarch's recent visit to the United States.

Host Michael Che kicked off the "Weekend Update" segment by mocking the royals, noting that Charles had met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his whistlestop tour of the Northeast. Che joked, "I'm surprised he didn't take Mamdani back to England with him, because he is an Indian treasure." This quip directly referenced Mamdani's recent divisive comments about the Koh-i-Noor diamond, which he said he would urge the King to return to India after the East India Company seized it in 1849.

Colin Jost then shifted the spotlight to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, suggesting that celebrating America's 250th anniversary was not the only motivation for Charles's trip. Jost displayed a picture of the couple and claimed the visit was actually "to seek the release of a British hostage being held by an American terrorist." The hosts concluded the segment with a controversial gag involving former-Prince Andrew, linking him to President Trump.

The jokes followed Charles's departure after a three-day tour that included stops in Washington DC with President Trump, as well as visits to New York City and Virginia. Jost highlighted a specific gift: a golden bell from a World War Two submarine commissioned by the British Royal Navy in 1944 and named HMS Trump. He quipped that the King told Trump, "Should you ever need to get ahold of us, just give us a ring." The sketch then flashed an image of Andrew, with Jost adding, "Or Trump could just call the guy saved in his phone as 'Andrew (Island).'"

This trip marked the first time Charles traveled as monarch, during which he delivered a well-regarded speech to the US Congress and met with numerous leading figures. However, tensions flared at a White House state dinner on Tuesday when Trump risked embarrassing the King with a surprising remark about private views on Iran and nuclear weapons. Trump delivered a highly complimentary speech celebrating the enduring alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom before pivoting to Middle East tensions.

"We're doing a little work in the Middle East right now. And we're doing very well," Trump said. He added, "We will never let that opponent ever… Charles agrees with me, even more than I do… we will never let that opponent have a nuclear weapon." The remark, which implied the King privately shared Trump's hardline stance on Iran, received cheers from the room.

While many praised the King's visit, California Democrat Ro Khanna expressed disappointment to the Daily Mail that the monarch failed to mention Jeffrey Epstein during his high-profile speech. Khanna stated, "It's very disappointing after the British Ambassador told me that the King would talk about the survivors and sex trafficking.

Representative Khanna condemned the King's silence as a moral lapse. He argued this omission highlights a broader culture of elite immunity that continues to hurt survivors.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Khanna called the oversight deeply disrespectful. This disrespect specifically targeted Sky and Amanda Roberts, the relatives of Virginia Giuffre. Khanna had met with them earlier that morning to discuss the issue.

Khanna further stated that the British Ambassador had promised the King would mention Epstein victims. The Ambassador said the speech should acknowledge both survivors and those trafficked for sex. Khanna insisted that ignoring these people shows the kind of privilege the world is tired of.

Republican Nancy Mace offered her own brief reaction to the address. When asked about the King's comments, she suggested he simply avoided the topic of Epstein. She implied he did not wish to engage with the subject at all.