Prince Harry ‘throwing toys out the pram’ over titles says expert
Meghan and Prince Harry took part in a video meeting with California’s Governor Gavin Newsom, according to a leaked memo. The document indicates the couple was booked for a one-hour-long “introductory meeting” with the top Democrat on October 19 – just a few weeks before the US election in November.
Mr Newson’s office did not disclose what was discussed during the chat.
A spokesperson for the Governor told , who have seen the memo: “We do not comment on the content of meetings between the Governor and private parties or his staff.”
Members of the Royal Family are expected to remain politically neutral so as not to sway the electorate.
Meghan and Harry’s meeting with Mr Newsom, who was once tipped to be a White House front-runner, could represent a breach of royal protocol.
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Meghan Markle news: Meghan and Prince Harry arriving at their last joint royal engagement in London (Image: GETTY)
Meghan and Harry have already been accused of stepping over the line of political neutrality in September, when they released a video for the ABC’s Time 100 special.
In it, the Duke of Sussex called for people to reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity as the election was approaching.
The Duchess, on the other hand, called the vote “the most important election of our lifetime”.
Meghan and Harry did not openly back Joe Biden or Donald Trump in their message, but some royal watchers branded the video a political interference by the hand of two members of the Royal Family.
Among them, ITV host Piers Morgan claimed the Duke of Sussex had “poked his nose” into the election of a foreign country.
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Meghan Markle news: Meghan and Prince Harry now live in California (Image: GETTY)
He said: “Prince Harry poking his woke nose into the US election and effectively telling Americans to vote against President Trump is completely unacceptable behaviour for a member of the Royal Family.”
A member of the House of Representatives, Jason Smith, who represents Missouri’s 8th congressional district, wrote a strongly-worded letter to the British Government in which he expressed his concern in the wake Meghan and Harry’s video.
He wrote: “By allowing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to retain their titles, and these political comments to continue, the British Government is effectively condoning interference in the 2020 United States Presidential Election from officials at the highest level of the British establishment.”
He added: “As you know, the British Royal Family has long observed a policy of strict neutrality in regard to political matters.
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“I am therefore concerned by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s recent comments regarding the United States Presidential Election, especially given international conversations surrounding foreign interference in our election and the Duke’s status as a guest of the United States.
“These actions represent a serious breach of the British Royal Family’s policy of political neutrality and an inappropriate act of domestic interference by one of our closest allies.”
During a press conference, Mr Trump himself was asked for his response to the video, with a reporter saying the Sussexes had “essentially encouraged people to vote for Joe Biden”.
Mr Trump said: “I’m not a fan of hers. She probably has heard that. But I wish a lot of luck to Harry because he’s going to need it.”
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Prince Harry and Meghan aren’t the first royals who have been accused of political meddling.
In 2014, ahead of the independence referendum in Scotland, the Queen was asked by a royal well-wisher in Balmoral her take on the upcoming vote.
The Queen said she hoped Scots would “think very carefully about the future”.
Her comment sparked criticism among supporters of an independent Scotland as it was perceived as a show of support to the No faction – despite Buckingham Palace issuing a statement saying the Queen maintained her constitutional impartiality and she considered the referendum a matter for the people of Scotland.
Meghan Markle news: Prince Charles have been accused of political meddling in the past (Image: GETTY)
Prince Charles came under fire after it emerged he had written a series of memos on causes close to his heart to ministers of the Labour Government between 2004 and 2005.
These notes, which became known as Black Spider Memos due to the handwriting of the Prince of Wales, were released in 2015 and described as “harmless” and “underwhelming”.
Moreover, the Prince of Wales was accused of snubbing Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2015 when he did not attend the state banquet in his honour, an absence made more critical by the royal’s well-known support to Tibet and the Dalai Lama.
However, the Prince of Wales met President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan during their four-day trip to the UK on multiple occasions.
