Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took a veiled swipe at President Trump in a video encouraging Americans to take to the polls.
“Every four years, we are told the same thing: that this is the most important election of our lifetime. But this one is,” Markle said in a video posted to commemorate the TIME 100, an annual list of the most influential people across the globe.
“This election, I’m not going to be able to vote here in the U.S.,” the Duke of Sussex said, perhaps hinting that he is potentially seeking U.S. citizenship. “But many of you may not know I haven’t been able to vote in the U.K. my entire life. As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: “Congratulations to this year’s transformative leaders and change makers. You work tirelessly to create a better world, a better global community for all of us” #TIME100 https://t.co/3aojLBhOVu pic.twitter.com/aqOkVUNFBX
— TIME (@TIME) September 23, 2020
The couple’s latest swipe at the president was met with disdain from British commentators.
Piers Morgan renewed his call for Queen Elizabeth II to strip the duke and duchess of their titles, arguing that “telling Americans to vote against President Trump is completely unacceptable behaviour for a member of the Royal Family.”
In his Wednesday column, Morgan said the royals had “crossed a massive line which should now have serious consequences for the couple who specialize in wanting their royal cake and the freedom to eat it.”
“Although they never mentioned Biden’s name, it is crystal clear whose side they’re on and it’s not the guy sitting in the White House tweeting hateful disingenuous rhetoric 24/7.”
Prince Harry poking his woke nose into the US election & effectively telling Americans to vote against President Trump is completely unacceptable behaviour for a member of the Royal Family.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 23, 2020
Journalist Andrew Pierce said Prince Harry had “effectively endorsed” Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“He doesn’t have a vote and as he still think he’s Royal, he is HRH, he’s supposed to be politically neutral. As usual, he wants it both ways,” he added.
Prince Harry has effectively endorsed @JoeBiden what is the US election to do with him? he doesn’t have a vote and as he still think he’s Royal, he is HRH, he’s supposed to be politically neutral. As usual, he wants it both ways
— Andrew Pierce (@toryboypierce) September 23, 2020
Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser to President Trump’s campaign, told the Daily Mail that the couple had “made Britain great again by leaving” and hopes “they do the same for” the United States.
Markle has been heavily involved in U.S. politics since returning to the U.S. with her husband and young son.
The former actress cold-called voters with feminist activist Gloria Steinem and revealed in a discussion with Steinem that Joe Biden’s selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate made her “so excited.”
In August, she participated in an event with When All Women Vote, an organization co-founded by former first lady Michelle Obama, telling viewers that if they “aren’t part of the solution, we’re part of the problem. If you’re complacent, you’re complicit.”
Markle has been a critic of President Trump, calling him “divisive” and “misogynistic” in a 2016 interview.
“Of course, Trump is divisive — think about female voters alone. I think it was in 2012, the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points. That’s a huge number, and as misogynistic as Trump is, and so vocal about it, that’s a huge chunk of it,” she said. “You’re not just voting for a woman if it’s Hillary [Clinton]. Yes, you’re voting because she’s a woman, but certainly, because Trump has made it easy to see that you don’t really want that kind of world that he’s painting.”
The couple did not make the 2020 Time 100 list, but were presented as alumni.
