The royals get political: does Meghan want to be president?
The Sussexes continue to court controversy in their new life across the pond. In a recent video the couple put out to mark Time magazine’s one hundred most influential list, Harry and Meghan appeared to attack President Trump by amplifying the message of Joe Biden’s campaign. “Every four years we are told the same thing,” Meghan said, “that this is the most important election of our lifetime…but this one is. When we vote our values are put into action and our voices are heard.”
With speculation growing in the tabloids, and in royal circles, that Meghan thinks she might one day run herself, statements like these reek of rehearsal. A glum looking Harry then revealed to the American electorate that he was deprived of the common right to vote back in Britain. Although this was supposed to underline the privilege and importance of voting, it played right into the hands of the eager critics waiting for Harry to criticise his previous life. On the whole it is a bad idea for members of the royal family to complain in public. At the very least, their extraordinary advantages oblige them to stay mute on political matters, but the Duke and Duchess seem keen to disregard archaic precedents that impede their freedom.
Harry’s plea to American voters that they should “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity” has caused quite a stir, with many pointing out how unsuitable it is for him to involve himself in politics. President Trump mischievously responded to their apparent assault on his political style, saying “I’m not a fan of hers” and “I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he’s going to need it.” Sitting Presidents exchanging jibes with senior members of the British royal family certainly adds tension to an already precarious situation. But what sort of tradition are Meghan and Harry supposedly trashing?
In 1689, after the Glorious Revolution, parliament passed the Bill of Rights. It limited royal prerogatives and established the royal family’s subservience to parliament. No legal prohibition prevents the Monarch from voting or standing for election, but it is considered unconstitutional and extremely inappropriate. However, there have been instances of other members of the royal family engaging in political affairs in recent times. Prince Charles wrote many “meddling” letters to Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister and to other ministers, and Prince William appeared to support a Remain vote in 2016 when he gave a speech to diplomats and emphasised the importance of international partnerships. But the current role of royalty is primarily one of pageantry, not policy. They embody the nation and have a duty to show compassion during a crisis; to stolidly persist through the changing political weather of a parliamentary democracy and to passionately celebrate the country their ancestors have ruled for centuries.
As Meghan and Harry increasingly immerse themselves in the ostensibly effusive but ultimately superficial lifestyle of LA celebrities, they must remember that their actions will have consequences in the country they left behind. Official detachment from the working royals does not dissociate them from their family. Being born a symbol doubtlessly cannot always be easy, but it comes with undeniable opportunity and advantage, the likes of which we commoners could only dream of. There is, therefore, a duty to show restraint, to do things that are difficult, especially when you would least like to.
How the couple intend to use their symbolic status now that they are free from the shackles of palace restrictions is emerging. Netflix reportedly signed a deal with the Sussexes for a $150m. Harry had been overheard lobbying for his wife, telling then Disney CEO, Bob Iger, that Meghan is interested in doing voice work. And more and more former friends and estranged members of the Markle family have said that Meghan wouldn’t rule out running for president one day. This is bound to excite the couple’s super fans on both sides of the Atlantic, but where would these developments leave Harry? He left his home to escape pressure from the media, but his behaviour has increased press attention to a level I imagine he has not seen since the tragic death of his mother. Is he likely to find the tranquillity he seeks with his wife on the campaign trail in 2024 or 2028? I doubt that, and his family must too. The door remains open for Meghan and Harry to return to a conventional royal life, but it has a deadline (March) and the clock is ticking.
It is often speculated that next year the Queen will start to step down from her duties and the process of Charles’s succession will begin. Though Prince Andrew’s reputation is already in tatters, he is facing further embarrassment and potential prosecution while the Maxwell trial progresses at a glacial pace in New York. Prince Harry deciding to take part in what is likely to be the most divisive election in modern American history hardly helps his grandmother’s predicament.
It is in many ways an awkward arrangement the British people have with the royal family. Their exemptions and advantages can only be justified by sacrifice and duty.
A fair-minded friend of mine attended High School with Meghan and said she is “clever, calm and kind.” The royal family was in need of those virtues when they got married in 2018, but now it looks like they can do better without their woke relations. As another friend and former supporter of the couple said to me; “the problem with Meghan and Harry is nobody really cares what they have to say, but they keep saying it.”