In the run-up to the US Presidential Election 2024, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle issued a statement urging their fans to get out and vote. However, the Royal couple stopped short of endorsing either Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump. Internet is abuzz with the reason the Sussexes refrained from backing any candidate.
Ahead of the 2020 election between Joe Biden (Democrat) and Donald Trump, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly appeared in a video message and urged Americans to "reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity” in the US election. Although the couple didn't name any candidate back then, this was widely interpreted as an endorsement of the Democrat.
The video triggered accusations that it breached UK protocol demanding political neutrality from 'working' members of the Royal family, the Guardian reported. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had earlier stepped down from their roles as senior royals.
Speaking in a Time 100 video message, Meghan called the presidential race the “most important election of our lifetime”, as the couple appealed to Americans to use their right to vote.
Prince Harry, who isn’t a US citizen, had then said he won’t be able to vote this year, while noting that he has never voted in the UK as royals are typically expected to remain politically neutral.
At the time, the video was released, sources told the Sunday Times that the remarks broke the Sandringham Summit agreement, which was written up when Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in 2020. The sources reportedly said members of the royal family were "wringing their hands" of the couple. "The feeling is it's a violation of the agreement," one source was quoted by The Mirror as saying.
According to TIME magazine, before becoming a member of Britain’s royal family, Markle criticised Donald Trump’s presidential run during a 2016 appearance on The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, calling the then-Republican nominee “misogynistic” and “divisive.”
Harry and Meghan’s decision to abstain from endorsing either major party candidate came months after Republican nominee Donald Trump warned Harry could be deported if he were found to have lied on his visa application about past drug use, SkyNews reported.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, through their charitable organization - the Archewell Foundation, said, "Voting is not just a right; it’s a fundamental way to influence the fate of our communities. At The Archewell Foundation, we recognize that civic engagement, no matter one’s political party, is at the heart of a more just and equitable world. By participating in initiatives like this, we aim to amplify the message that every voice matters."
Their message was posted on the Archewell Foundation's website in September as the US observed the National Voter Registration Day.
