What We Know About Prince Harry & Meghan Markle's Political Views
Although Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family, the pair still keeps their political views under wraps — for the most part. Royal tradition demands political neutrality, not by choice but by mandate, making it "unconstitutional" for them to even cast a vote. And while they regularly work with the U.K. government, they are careful not to get their hands dirty with political affairs. However, both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex seem to struggle with completely distancing themselves from political matters.
For starters, they have been proactive in encouraging voter participation. While Markle had previously enjoyed the rights of an ordinary citizen and had voted, Harry had never entered a polling booth. "This election, I'm not going to be able to vote here in the U.S. But many of you may not know that I haven't been able to vote in the U.K. my entire life," he said during a broadcast special of 2020 TIME 100 and went on to urge the public to vote, much to the dismay of his family. Then, in 2024, the Archewell Foundation initiated a campaign to counter election misinformation, per Axios. So, they might not be vocal about their own political leanings, but they're all in when it comes to civic engagement.
With Harry toying with the idea of obtaining American citizenship, the day may arrive when his personal politics are out in the open. His past actions, along with Markle's, subtly hint at where they might stand — if you're paying attention, that is.
Prince Harry appeared to reject conservative views
Prince Harry may not be permitted to blatantly reveal what he stands for, but he's been pretty vocal about what he doesn't. In his controversial book, "Spare," he didn't mince words about his disdain for media titan Rupert Murdoch, a well-known conservative figure. While Harry's beef with Murdoch is partly personal — thanks to relentless media scrutiny from Murdoch's media outlets — he doesn't shy away from expressing his disdain (or perhaps indifference) for Murdoch's politics.
"I didn't care for Murdoch's politics, which were just to the right of the Taliban's," he penned. "And I didn't like the harm he did each and every day to the truth, his wanton desecration of objective facts." If Harry could name his least favorite person in the world, it would probably be Murdoch. "I couldn't think of a single human being who in the 300,000-year history of the species who'd done more collective damage to our sense of reality," he added.
Prince Harry also surrounds himself with people who might hint at his political leanings. He's chummy with John Major, once tagged as the "most liberal prime minister," who stepped in as a guardian for him and Prince William following Princess Diana's death. Major was also notably the sole politician gracing the guest list at Harry and Markle's wedding. Stateside, Harry seems to be tight with the Obamas and even President Joe Biden, who's reportedly got his back against potential deportation threats. If you're trying to pinpoint where Harry's politics leans towards, the clues are all there.
Meghan's liberalism apparently upset some royals
Before Meghan Markle exchanged vows with Prince Harry, she wasn't shy about diving into political discussions, even inadvertently starting a beef with Donald Trump when she criticized him on television. In a guest appearance on "The Nightly Show with Larry Whitmore," she described Trump as "divisive" and "misogynistic" and joked about potentially moving to Canada if Trump won the presidency — and funnily, she did, when she, Harry, and Archie temporarily stayed in Vancouver Island.
By the time she became a royal, her outspoken nature apparently irked some members of the royal family and their inner circle. "Her politics are an issue. She is ultra-liberal and that trendy-lefty stuff does not go down well with some of Harry's friends," Lady Colin Campbell, a friend of Princess Diana, shared with The Daily Beast. "...She is very anti [of] a lot of the things that their world functions upon, such as shooting."
But Markle appeared unfazed and continued to engage with liberal circles after moving back to the U.S. She openly supported Kamala Harris during her VP campaign, expressing excitement over Harris' representation. "You know, for me, being biracial, growing up, whether it was a doll or a person in office, you need to see someone who looks like you in some capacity," she told Gloria Steinem in a Makers interview. "As many of us believe, you can only be what you can see. And in the absence of that, how can you aspire to something greater than what you see in your own world?"