Every time the British royal family defied protocol and spoke about politics
Mikhaila Friel
- Meghan Markle was recently criticized for encouraging Americans to vote, with some people even suggesting she should be stripped of her title for speaking about politics.
- Members of the royal family are supposed to remain politically neutral, and it's thought to be against protocol for royals to openly discuss politics in public.
- However, Markle isn't the first royal to do so. Last year, Prince William asked sheep farmers if they were concerned about Brexit.
- The Queen herself has also encouraged the public to vote, saying in 2003 that it is vital "that our democratic institutions flourish and adapt."
Meghan Markle spoke about the upcoming US election, saying "we all know what's at stake."
During a virtual appearance at the When Women Vote conference earlier this month, the Duchess of Sussex said those who don't vote are "complicit."
While she didn't directly mention her personal views, she said "we all know what's at stake" at this year's US general election.
"I know it," she said. "And all of you certainly know it if you're here on this fun event with us, then you're all just as mobilized and just as energized to see the change that we all need and deserve."
Although Markle didn't name any names, some people took her comments as a dig at Trump, who the duchess has criticized in the past.
Markle spoke about her disdain for Trump during his election campaign in 2016 — before she became a royal.
The then-actress called Trump "divisive" and "misogynistic" during an appearance on "The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore."
"It's really the moment I go, 'We film "Suits" in Toronto and I might just stay in Canada,'" Markle said.
"Yes, of course, Trump is divisive, think about female voters alone, right ... I think it was in 2012 the Republican Party lost the female vote by 12 points — that is a huge number, and with as misogynistic as Trump is, and so vocal about it, that's a huge chunk of it."
She said she supported Hillary Clinton not "because she's a woman, but certainly because Trump has made it easy to see that you don't really want that kind of world that he's painting."
Prince Harry said Trump has "blood on his hands" and appeared to avoid the President during his visit to Buckingham Palace last year.
Earlier this year two prank callers shared clips from a phone call they had with the Duke of Sussex, where they impersonated Greta Thunberg and her father.
During the call, Harry openly criticized Trump and said Thunberg would "outsmart him" if they met.
"Certain presidents around the world are driving completely the wrong agenda," Harry said.
"I don't mind saying this to you guys — the mere fact that Donald Trump is pushing the coal industry so big in America, he has blood on his hands.
"Because the effect that has on the climate, and the island nations far, far away. And again, out of sight, out of mind.
"But Trump will want to meet you to make him look better, but he won't want to have a discussion about climate change with you because you will outsmart him."
It was speculated that Harry wasn't on good terms with the President when he appeared to avoid him in photos of Trump's visit to Buckingham Palace last year.
While Queen Elizabeth was pictured walking with him and showing him around, Harry stayed behind and didn't interact.
Prince William asked sheep farmers if they were concerned about Brexit during a visit to the Lake District in Northern England last year.
In June last year, Prince William and Kate Middleton met with local farmers at Deepdale Hall Farm to learn about the challenges they face within their community.
According to ITV royal editor Chris Ship, William asked the farmers: "Is Brexit a big concern?"
To which one farmer replied: "I was very surprised that farmers voted for Brexit, to be honest. It was like turkeys voting for Christmas."
Queen Elizabeth encouraged the public to vote in 2003 after a low voter turnout in Wales.
"It is vital to the health both of the United Kingdom and of Wales that our democratic institutions flourish and adapt," the monarch said during a visit to the Welsh Assembly, according to The Times.
"I share your concerns that we must encourage all our people to exercise their right to vote. This is a real challenge now before us all."
Prince Charles reportedly tried to influence government decisions with a series of private letters which were later made public.
Several letters written by Prince Charles to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and senior ministers in 2004 and 2005 were published in 2015, leading many to believe the prince hadn't been as politically neutral as he was supposed to be.
Charles shared various opinions in the letters, particularly on agricultural and rural issues. In one letter sent in 2004, the prince said more should be done to encourage the public to purchase beef from British farmers, according to The Independent.
The publication also reported that he encouraged the Prime Minister to put pressure on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to decrease the bureaucratic burdens farmers were subjected to.
More recently, The Duchess of Sussex spoke with Gloria Steinem about the importance of voting.
In a clip from Markle and Steinem's upcoming "backyard chat" posted on Twitter, the duchess said: "People forget how hard women like you and so many others like you fought for us to be where we are right now."
"if you don't vote, you don't exist," Steinem said. "It's the only place where we're all equal, the voting booth."
The full conversation has not yet been released. However, it seems it will echo the comments Markle made earlier this month about the importance of voting.
Writing in Marie Claire's August 2020 digital issue, the duchess said she knows what it feels like to "voiceless," possibly referencing her time as a working royal when she didn't openly discuss politics.
The duchess said: "One of my favorite quotes, and one that my husband and I have referred to often, is from Kate Sheppard, a leader in the suffragist movement in New Zealand, who said, 'Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops.'
"That's why I vote," she added.
Read more:
10 times the royals opened up about their experiences breaking protocol
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