Meghan Markle said her comments were 'not controversial' after Trump criticized the duchess for weighing in on the election
- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex appeared to address reports that she had endorsed Trump's opponent Joe Biden in her recent comments about the election.
- Speaking at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit, the interviewer Ellen McGirt acknowledged that Markle has "had a sitting president take a shot at you," referencing Trump's comments that he isn't "a fan" of the duchess.
- Markle previously said this was "the most important election of our lifetime," leading some people to believe that she was discouraging people from voting for the current president.
- "If you look back at anything I've said, it's really interesting because what ends up being inflammatory it seems is people's interpretation of it," Markle said at the virtual summit on Tuesday.
The Duchess of Sussex said her comments were "not controversial" after she was accused of breaking royal protocol by speaking about US politics.
Meghan Markle encouraged Americans to vote in a recent TV appearance, saying that the upcoming 2020 general election is "the most important election of our lifetime."
Her words caused some people — including Trump — to believe she was endorsing the president's opponent Joe Biden.
However, speaking at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit on Tuesday, the royal said most of her comments have been interpreted completely differently from how she intended them to be.
"You're not the only powerful woman, even in this community, who has had a sitting president take a shot at you, mobs come at you, powerful people and powerful forces try to take you down," Fortune editor Ellen McGirt said, before asking the duchess what her advice is for those who want to weigh in on the important issues.
"It's about being authentic, and if you look back at anything I've said, it's really interesting because what ends up being inflammatory it seems is people's interpretation of it," Markle responded.
"But if you listen to anything I actually say, it's not controversial."
Speaking at a White House press briefing earlier this month, Trump was asked his opinion on Markle and Prince Harry "essentially encouraging people to vote for Joe Biden."
"I'm not a fan of hers," Trump said. "And I would say this — and she probably has heard that — but I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he's going to need it."
It's considered against protocol for members of the royal family to get involved in politics or to share their political views.
Prince Harry recently confirmed that he has never been able to vote in a UK election.
"This election, I'm not going to be able to vote here 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 during the 2020 TIME 100 TV special.
"As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity," he added.
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