Instead of Kamala Harris? The political plan of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

A new report published in the United States presents a picture according to which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tried to establish significant political influence for themselves after moving to California. According to the "New York Post", in 2020, Meghan asked to be considered as a candidate for the Senate seat that became vacant after Kamala Harris was elected Vice President. Later, it is claimed, the couple also requested a meeting at the White House with Joe Biden. A categorical denial of the claims was issued on their behalf.

Meghan Markle's ambitions in the United States may not have been limited to public work and social campaigns. According to a source quoted in the "New York Post", a few weeks before Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election, Meghan asked to meet with California Governor Gavin Newsom because she wanted to be considered as a candidate to replace Kamala Harris in the Senate.

Harris, who was serving as a Senator from California at the time, left the seat after being elected Vice President. Newsom was the one required to choose who would replace her until the next election. According to the source, the conversation with the couple was described externally as an introductory meeting with new residents of California. A document from Newsom's office published in February 2021 did indeed confirm that the Governor held an "introductory meeting" with Harry and Meghan on October 19, 2020, but did not detail what topics were discussed.

It is unclear how much, if at all, the idea of appointing Meghan to the Senate progressed. Ultimately, Newsom chose California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who took Harris's seat and was subsequently elected for a full term. A source on behalf of the couple categorically denied that Meghan asked to receive the seat. No response was provided by Newsom's office to the report.

According to other sources quoted in the article, the couple's attempt to enter the American arena did not end there. At the end of 2021, they allegedly requested to hold a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office, and even asked to stay at Blair House — the official guest house adjacent to the White House, which is usually used by leaders and official guests of the administration.

According to those same sources, the request was quickly rejected. A person who previously worked in the Biden administration claimed that the White House feared that an official meeting with Harry and Meghan would be perceived as interference in their conflict with the British royal family. According to him, the President and his wife Jill Biden did not want to "get into a family feud". A source on behalf of the couple also denied the claim that they requested a meeting in the Oval Office or lodging at Blair House.

After leaving their roles as active senior members of the royal family and moving to the United States, Harry and Meghan recruited several advisors with political experience in Washington. According to the report, some of them previously worked in the Barack Obama administration and served as a channel of communication for the couple to the Biden administration. Among the names mentioned is Miranda Barbot, who currently serves as Harry's Chief of Staff.

Also, Jen Psaki, who served as White House Press Secretary under Biden and previously worked in the Obama administration, was in contact with Meghan. In her 2024 book, Psaki recounted that Meghan once sent a box of lemons to her home in Virginia, so that she could pass them through security to Jill Biden's office in the East Wing of the White House.

Another event mentioned in the report occurred in September 2022, after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. According to the publication, Harry and Meghan inquired whether they could join President Biden's flight back to the United States on the presidential plane Air Force One, but the request was rejected.

Contrary to some of the new claims, Meghan's public involvement in political issues in the United States is not new. In September 2020, she and Harry published a video in which they called on Americans to vote in the election and reject "hate speech". These words were interpreted at the time by part of the public as indirect support for Biden. Donald Trump reacted at the time with a jab at Harry: "I wish Harry a lot of luck, because he's going to need it". In November 2021, Meghan also reached out to several American Senators as part of an effort to promote paid family and medical leave at the federal level.

The article also raises a constitutional question around the theoretical possibility that Meghan would have received the appointment. The US Constitution restricts individuals holding public office in the US from receiving a title or emolument from a foreign state without the approval of Congress. Since Meghan is the Duchess of Sussex and married to a British prince, such an appointment could have raised legal and constitutional questions. However, since she was never appointed to the position, the issue was not tested in practice.

As is known, Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as active senior members of the royal family at the beginning of 2020 and subsequently moved to California. In the years that followed, they tried to build an independent status for themselves through deals with media companies, content production, public activity, and commercial ventures. Now, against the backdrop of reports about their expected return to the UK, claims are resurfacing regarding the scope of the ambitions they had in the United States — and especially their desire to also reach the centers of political power in Washington.