Critics Are Buzzing Over Harry and Meghan's Video

'Harry is unwise to venture down that road,' a former British official says
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 23, 2020 4:04 PM CDT

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have turned heads in Britain by urging Americans to vote in November—an act some consider a breach of royal protocol, the Guardian reports. "This election I am not able to vote in the US. But many of you may not know that I haven't been able to vote in the UK my entire life," Harry said in a Time 100 video message while sitting beside Markle outside their California home. "As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity." Markle, who has called President Trump "divisive" and "misogynistic," called on people to vote and said that "every four years we are told the same thing, that this is the most important election of our lifetime. But this one is."

The issue for critics? Harry and Markle may not be "working royals," but they are still members of the royal family—and as such are expected to remain non-partisan. And some took their video as being anti-Trump. As a former UK foreign minister tells the Telegraph, "Harry is unwise to venture down that road." Markle, being American and on her home turf, seems to get more of a pass: "I am sure many would think it wrong that she is not allowed to exercise her democratic right to vote," a royal biographer tells the BBC. As for Buckingham Palace, it distanced itself from Harry's remarks. "The duke is not a working member of the Royal Family and any comments he makes are made in a personal capacity," a spokesperson said. (More royal family stories.)

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