Meghan Markle, Prince Harry ponder politics, dare to 'voice opinions' on world stage: expert
Are Meghan Markle and Prince Harry preparing for their latest role? Some seem to think so.
The U.K.’s Mirror recently reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are teaming up with "Hollywood power players" to prepare voters for a "deepfake onslaught" that will coincide with the 2024 U.S. presidential election on November 5.
According to the outlet, the couple are reportedly gearing up to launch a campaign to protect voters against election misinformation. A spokesperson for the pair didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital that he wouldn’t be surprised if Markle, a former American actress, were thinking about making a mark in D.C.
"Meghan in particular has not been shy about voicing her opinions on a wide variety of important social issues, including politically charged ones," he explained. "And why not? People forget that the Duchess of Sussex remains 100 percent an American citizen. Meghan doesn’t even have dual citizenship, since she never resided full-time in the U.K. long enough to complete her citizenship requirements."
"Archie and Lilibet are also American citizens," Andersen pointed out, referring to the couple’s two young children. "Harry is even talking about becoming one. So she has a lot invested in the upcoming election."
Talks of the former "Suits" actress plotting her next role in politics aren’t new. In 2019, True Royalty TV premiered "Meghan for President?" It was a documentary that explored how the mother of two had always wanted to speak out on a global platform, long before she pursued acting.
The special features interviews with friends, colleagues, former teachers and royal experts. The documentary also highlights rare footage of Markle at age 10 attending her first anti-war protest.
In 2020, Markle teamed up with Gloria Steinem to speak out on the importance of voting. In 2022, they had a candid conversation about reproductive rights for Vogue.
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In 2021, Politico reported that Markle had personally reached out to members of Congress to advocate for paid family leave. The news came weeks after she wrote an open letter published by Paid Leave for All.
Andersen warned that the pair would need to tread carefully.
"Meghan won't be getting directly involved in running for office or, I believe, even campaigning for any specific candidate, because that could complicate things tremendously for Harry - especially at a time when his father, the king, and Princess Kate are battling cancer, and the monarchy is in crisis," Andersen explained.
"Still, Meghan, in particular, would like nothing better than to free herself from royal shackles and campaign for the Harris-Biden ticket," he shared. "The Sussexes' campaign against AI deepfakes is one way for Harry and Meghan to have a real impact without taking sides. The same is true of their ongoing get-out-the-vote efforts."
"Harry [can] stay quiet, but Meghan can still voice her opinions on critical issues like abortion rights, voting rights, and the environment," Andersen noted. "She might even speak up about Ukraine and Gaza, but that will be far trickier for her."
Markle became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Harry in 2018.
Harry, 39, has had a troubled relationship with the royal family since he quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to California with his wife. According to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media prompted the move.
These days, Markle has been keeping busy building a lifestyle empire as the royal family deals with health issues.
Markle teased her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, on March 14 as she launched a new Instagram account. The duchess filed two additional trademark applications, on March 9 and March 19, that expanded the lifestyle brand into cosmetics and gardening.
Then on Thursday, Deadline reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have two nonfiction projects in the works for Netflix.
A spokesperson for the couple didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital regarding either project.
Doug Eldridge, an agent, celeb branding and marketing expert, as well as founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that four years later, following her royal exit, Markle is "trying to find herself."
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"This has been an awkward, largely unsuccessful, attempt at a rebrand," said Eldridge. "She is not booking acting gigs, her podcast was scrapped soon after it launched, and she abdicated her royal responsibilities in a highly publicized exit from the royal family. Perhaps she sees politics as a viable reinvention for 2024 and beyond."
"Most Americans don't associate Markle with politics, but that, in and of itself, isn't a disqualifying factor for a future in politics," he shared. "Ronald Reagan was a radio, television and movie star before becoming the governor of California, and later a two-term Republican president. Donald Trump was a real estate mogul and reality TV star before throwing his hat in the ring and coming away with the presidency in 2016."
"Granted, the pathway from the silver screen to the Oval Office is improbable, but it's not impossible," Eldridge added.
British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that if the couple were to dabble in politics, it would only continue to raise questions about whether their royal titles should be removed.
"One would think Meghan Markle would have learned a lesson from the derisive comments made by U.S. Senators in response to her attempts back in 2021 to lobby them via cold-calling," said Fordwich. "... At that time, she raised the ire of the Brits, many of whom were calling for the removal of their titles, since they were using them for political means and commercial gain."
"She wasn’t calling Senators just an American citizen but leveraging her Duchess of Sussex title to meddle in U.S. politics," Fordwich alleged. "She demonstrated either abject ignorance of the political impartiality royals have adhered to for centuries or a deliberate attempt to make an impact with the very title she had belittled. It was one of the many instances of hypocrisy which contributed to her plummeting popularity."
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"Therefore, any attempt at another foray into politics would no doubt raise similar issues of wanting one’s cake and to eat it too," Fordwich added.
Whether the couple chooses to move forward in American politics remains to be seen. Nick Bullen, co-founder of True Royalty TV, previously told Fox News Digital that anything is possible. Even a humanitarian ambassador’s role for Markle looks promising.
"It’s a very plausible argument," Bullen said. "I think it would be fascinating. Imagine a world in which she does make it to the White House. [Prince] Harry is the first husband. There’s a state visit, and what happens then if Meghan is hosting [the British royal family] at the White House? You’re going to want a front-row seat for that, aren’t you?"
Traditionally, members of the British royal family are expected to be apolitical in public, which means they cannot vote or openly express political views. In addition, such a major move would require Harry to give up his royal title.
Bullen said he didn't believe a Hollywood comeback is in her future – unless the price is right.
"I don’t think there’s a world in which you’ll see Meghan going back into acting unless it’s a major, major movie," he said. "I think Meghan’s ambitions for reaching the top now are focused on a different direction. I honestly think she’s much more likely to be playing on a political stage than she is on an acting stage. Unless, of course, maybe Steven Spielberg or Ron Howard offers her a role in some major, major movie, and she’s the big star."
"But I think that will go against where her focus is," Bullen continued. "Everything I’m being told about her is her philanthropy and her political careers … [her] political focus is where she wants to be."
Original article source:Meghan Markle, Prince Harry ponder politics, dare to 'voice opinions' on world stage: expert
