When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Faced Backlash For Their Bold Political Stance

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave up their royal positions and moved permanently to California in June 2020. After settling the ex-royals engaged themselves in multiple interviews and television appearances. However, one particular social activity was soon despised by the royal family. According to the US Express, they were furious with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for breaking the Sandringham Summit pact they had signed on their departure from the United Kingdom. As part of Time magazine's annual list of the top 100 most important individuals, the Sussexes issued a video in September urging Americans to "vote against hate speech" and "misinformation."

As a member of the royal family, Harry also stated that he would not be eligible to vote and that he had never cast a ballot in the UK. It has been a tradition that working royals in the UK stay out of politics and don't vote. “Every four years, we’re told the same thing: that this is the most important election of our lifetime,” Markle said in the video. “But this one is.” “As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity,” the Duke added. “This election, I’m not going to be able to vote here in the U.S. But many of you may not know that I haven’t been able to vote in the U.K. my entire life,” he said. 

The royals are not allowed to vote or run for office because they are required to maintain ultimate political neutrality. Hence when the Sussexes subtly endorsed Joe Biden while aiming at former president Donald Trump the royal family was left "wringing their hands". "The feeling is it's a violation of the agreement,' a close source stated at the time.

According to CBS News, after the video went viral a reporter quizzed Trump about their alleged message. "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chimed in on the U.S. election and essentially encouraged people to vote for Joe Biden. I wanted to get your reaction to that," the reporter asked. "I'm not a fan of hers, and I would say this – and she probably has heard that – but, I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he's going to need it," Trump responded while brushing off their statement. 

However, since their 2020 election move earned a royal backlash the Sussexes chose to stay neutral this time around. As per the US Express, historian and royal expert Rafe Heydel-Mankoo stated that Harry's involvement in the 2020 election was a "breach of protocol," and it's possible that he and Markle "learned their lesson" and are remaining silent. “If anything, Harry's political statement in 2020 may well have backfired, angering more people than would have been swayed by it,” Heydel-Mankoo added. The royal historian noted that the Duchess ignored Trump at Buckingham Palace in 2019, which sparked "five years of bad blood" between them. She has also publically criticized him as "misogynistic and divisive" which is why the ex-royals have maintained a low profile when it came to commenting about the 2024 election.