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Prince Harry was noticeably absent from the State Banquet staged in honour of Donald Trump last night - after he appeared less than keen to be photographed with the President earlier in the day.

His absence last night came while his wife Meghan remains on maternity leave after giving birth to baby Archie - and follows a minor furore at the weekend when President Trump revealed his shock to learn that the Duchess of Sussex had criticised him in the past, saying he 'didn't realise she was nasty'. 

But the President also heaped praise on Meghan in an interview on Saturday and said she would do an 'excellent' job as a Royal.  

Yesterday,  Harry had chaperoned Mr Trump's daughter, Ivanka, into Buckingham Palace's Picture Gallery for a display of US-themed artefacts in the afternoon.

But the Queen's grandson quickly disappeared into the background and did not follow other members of the Royal Family as they walked round the exhibition with the American leader and his party.

The 34-year-old's American-born wife once said she would leave the country if the 'divisive' Mr Trump was elected US president. 

And speculation was rife that the prince had been angered by the comments apparently made by the president, after learning of the remarks Meghan made in 2016. 

The Queen's grandson seemed less than keen to be photographed with President Trump at Buckingham Palace yesterday. He quickly disappeared into the background and did not follow other members of the Royal Family as they walked round the exhibition with the American leader and his party

The Duke of Sussex kept his distance at the US leader was shown displays of US items from the Royal Collection at Buckingham Palace

Harry, 34, had been a last minute addition to the proceedings after aides initially suggested that neither he nor his wife would take part.

This was partly due to the recent birth of their son, Archie, and also the fact that they do not normally get involved in State visits due to their position in the royal pecking order.

Harry is now seventh in line to the throne and has only ever attended one State banquet previously.

Meghan is on maternity leave, having given birth to the couple's first son just a month ago.

But her omission would no doubt have come as a relief, with her previously describing Mr Trump as a 'misogynist' and 'divisive' in a 2016 interview when working as an actress.

She said she would consider moving permanently to Canada, where she was then living while filming the TV drama Suits, as she didn't want to live 'in that kind of world he is painting'.

But to the surprise of many, Buckingham Palace suddenly announced with little more than a week to go that Harry would now join the Queen and other dignitaries for lunch at the Palace following the Trumps' arrival by helicopter.

A spokesman declined to comment further but it appeared that pressure had been put to bear on the couple to at least show willing given the significance of the Queen's VIP guest.

Royal sources stressed last night that Harry had shaken hands with Ivanka and her husband Jared, as well as with John Bolton, the President's National Security Advisor.

They also insisted that there was no 'scripted procession' for members of the royal family to walk round and view the exhibition.

Harry chaperoned Mr Trump's daughter, Ivanka, into Buckingham Palace's Picture Gallery for a display of US-themed artefacts

Harry, 34, (seen in the background) had been a last minute addition to the proceedings after aides initially suggested that neither he nor his wife would take part

The lunch with Mr Trump, held in the Blue Drawing Room, was the least visible of the events held by Buckingham Palace yesterday.

No photographs were released and neither the guest list or even the menu were confirmed - although reporters did manage to find out that smoked salmon and a donut-style pudding with fresh fruit, in honour of the US contingent, were served.

All the guests at the lunch were expected to attend a display of artefacts from the Royal Collection, the treasure trove of art, antiques and artefacts held by the Queen on behalf of the nation, in the Picture Gallery afterwards, which is captured by the media.

Harry's appearance was notably fleeting, though.

Although he chivalrously walked Ivanka in, the prince ducked out of joining the group as they politely walked around the display.

In doing so he left the US President's daughter to be rescued by a female member of staff from the Royal household.

She quickly paired her up with the Duke of York, who could later be heard chatting to her about golf as they looked at pictures taken of royals through the ages at St Andrew's.

In the end the cameras only caught the briefest glimpse of the prince at the back of the room, with President Trump barely in shot.

Meanwhile, the rest of the royal party - including the Queen, Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke of York, Duke of Kent and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester - walked off smiling towards the cameras.

At one point Harry could briefly be seen leaning back on his heels and stretching his arms as he chatted to one of the Queen's most senior courtiers, The Earl Peel, The Lord Chamberlain, before making a fairly hasty exit.

Speculation was rife that the prince had been angered by comments apparently said by the president about his wife at the weekend

There was no official comment from Buckingham Palace last night. 

Ahead of his visit to the UK, Mr Trump called the prince's wife 'nasty' in an interview with The Sun.

When told she had made critical comments about him, the president told the newspaper: 'I didn't know that. What can I say? I didn't know that she was nasty.'

But he also praised the duchess, saying she makes a 'very good American Princess' and claiming he was glad she was part of the royal family.

'It is nice, and I am sure she will do excellently. She will be very good. I hope she does [succeed],' he said.

His critics said this was another example of his outspoken attacks on his female critics.

But Mr Trump later denied making the comment, tweeting: 'I never called Meghan Markle 'nasty'. Made up by the Fake News Media, and they got caught cold!'