Inside The Rampant Rumors About Meghan Markle's Political Interests

Before she donned the tiara as a duchess, Meghan Markle held a string of odd jobs. Among them are strutting as a briefcase model on "Deal or No Deal," moonlighting as a freelance calligrapher, working on Robin Thicke and Paula Patton's wedding invites, and snagging a role as "hot girl" opposite Ashton Kutcher in "A Lot Like Love" before landing her gig on "Suits." After stepping down as a senior royal with Prince Harry, she launched a lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, and started hawking strawberry jam. Because, well, why not? And if rumors are to be believed, she might just be eyeing a political run and go after a job in politics. #Markle2028, perhaps?

Whispers of Markle having aspirations to run for office dates back to 2020, the same year when she had a purported falling out with the Royal Family. Bookmakers at the time have even started placing bets on her potential to secure an office seat, citing her openness about her politics as her ticket to victory. "Even though she's a 500/1 shot to win in 2024, this is just another example of Meghan potentially building her political profile for if she's to run in the future," Sam Rosbottom, spokesperson of gambling company Betfair, shared with Express.

But alas, Markle didn't end up running in the 2024 elections, leaving the spotlight on Donald Trump, with whom Prince Harry has a supposed beef. But don't count her out just yet — some say she might come to surprise us all.

Sure, Meghan Markle did once flirt with the notion of vying for a seat in the Oval, but that was back when she was young and bright-eyed. "As a kid, I wanted to be either President of the United States or a news broadcaster like you," she told Piers Morgan in an interview (via Daily Mail). But that childhood ambition remained just that — an ambition — and she hasn't really done anything to make anyone think that she would run. Instead, it's her circle that seems to assume she has political aspirations, with one of her former aides reportedly venting to Daily Mail's Dan Wooton in 2019, claiming that her marrying into the Royal Family was a calculated move. 

"I am now convinced there is something bigger going on here – an eventual plan that involves running for office in America," they supposedly said. "She's obsessed with US politics. I think we're [the Royal Family] now just a stepping stone to something she considers far more important and attractive." The same outlet also reported that Markle had declared that her ultimate goal was the White House, supposedly confiding to a friend about her presidential dreams. Again, these are all just hearsay, and there's no concrete evidence of Markle plotting a political career. While it's true that she's certainly not shy about engaging in political discourse, actual plans to run for office remain non-existent at this time.

On the off chance that Meghan Markle does decide to enter politics, she would have to ditch her royal title completely, an idea that she and Prince Harry have been toying with, at least according to a source cited by Vanity Fair. They even claimed that her unwillingness to renounce her American citizenship was part of her plan to fulfill her purported political ambitions. Markle's team, however, was quick to shut down this assumption, saying that the former actor is content with doing politics-adjacent work without involving herself in all that shebang. "While there's no denying she is interested and engaged in politics as a topic, she harbors no ambition to enter a career in politics herself," they explained. 

Perhaps Markle's political engagement should not be misconstrued as a desire to vie for the presidency — or any position for that matter. Markle herself previously said her passion lies in helping the disenfranchised. This is why she remains a strong advocate of voting and perhaps the reason why she has not given up her American citizenship. "I know what it's like to have a voice, and also what it's like to feel voiceless," she told Marie Claire. "I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard."