Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made their very first joint U.S. TV appearance Wednesday on the TIME100 special to honor the most influential people of 2020 and talked politics. Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the Sussex pair's perceived political statements.
In a message sent to the UK press, a Palace insider said that they won't say anything because Harry is "not a working member of the Royal Family." The spokesperson also told journalist Rebecca English that the Duke of Sussex's comments on TV were "made in a personal capacity."
Prince Harry's TV statement called on the viewers to "reject hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity" as the U.S. elections draw closer. The duke mentioned that he cannot vote in the U.S. elections and he hasn't voted his entire life as a royal but he reminded the people not to engage in online negativity.
Critics of the Duke of Sussex said that, Queen Elizabeth's grandson breached royal protocols for commenting on politics. Daily Mail interpreted his statement as an indication that he might seek American citizenship.
However, Harper's Bazaar spoke with a source in the Sussex couple's camp who clarified that Harry did not reference any candidate or party in his comment. The source said that the Duke of Sussex was calling for decency in how people engage with each other and digest information, especially on the internet. His sentiments are the same as the articlehe wrote in August for Fast Company, where Harry encouraged companies to take a lead in creating a more compassionate digital landscape.
Meanwhile, Meghan's comments were focused on making this election count and she also did not endorse a candidate or a party. The Duchess of Sussex said that this November's votes will be the "most important election of our lifetime" as it will "put values in action."
Meghan will make history as the very first member of the British royal family to exercise her civic right to vote. The Duchess of Sussex, who was born in California and has retained her citizenship, scaled down on her politics when she married Prince Harry in 2018.
Before the 2016 elections, Meghan said in a talk show that Donald Trump is a misogynistic and divisive candidate. The Duchess of Sussex supported Hillary Clinton in the last presidential elections.
Prince Harry and Meghan were not in this year's list of most influential people but they were asked to appear on the TIME100 event as past honorees. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were named most influential in 2018.
