London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Duchess Meghan makes history by voting in presidential election; doesn't say who she picked

Duchess Meghan makes history by voting in presidential election; doesn't say who she picked

Duchess Meghan of Sussex voted in the 2020 presidential election, making history as first official British royal to do so.


Meghan Markle,Prince Harry draw criticism for political video

Duchess Meghan of Sussex has another first to add to her resume: She's the first member of the British royal family to vote for president in an American election.

The former Meghan Markle, who is an American citizen, took part in the quadrennial ritual, according to a person close to the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.

No details were released about when and where the royal duchess, 39, voted, though it may have been from home. So far, no pictures have yet emerged showing her standing in line at her local polling place near her new Southern California home in Montecito, Santa Barbara County.

But it would have been a surprise if she had not voted, given that she and husband Prince Harry, 36, spent some time prior to the Nov. 3 election urging Americans to register and vote.



Harry is a citizen of the United Kingdom so he can't vote, but Meghan can.

She jumped feet first into the election this year, calling in via video in August to an online non-partisan voter registration drive co-chaired by former first lady Michelle Obama,whom she called "my friend."

"It's 75 days until the election, that is so close and yet there is so much work to be done in that time," she said. "We all know what’s at stake, I know it and you do, too...We must do all we can to ensure all women have their voices heard...If you're complacent, you're complicit."

Although she didn't say which candidate she was backing, it was assumed, given her previous critical remarks about President Donald Trump, that she probably wouldn't vote for him.

The U.K. tabloids, among the loudest voices in the chorus of Sussex critics, were certainly under no illusions, and lambasted both Harry and Meghan for alleged meddling in American politics, which is a no-no for royals back home.



A Republican congressman from Missouri asked the British government to strip Harry and Meghan of their titles for "interfering" in the election by trying to influence voters.

By carrying out a civic duty, Meghan is the first member of the British royal family to cast a presidential ballot in America. Although she and Harry stepped down from their roles as senior working royals in March, and agreed to drop the use of the word "royal" in their activities, they still retain it officially, as per his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

As usual when it comes to Meghan, comparisons have been made to the former Wallis Simpson, also a divorced American, who married the former King Edward VIII in 1937 after he abdicated to wed her. The royal family was so angry at his betrayal of duty, his brother, the new King George VI, denied Wallis the title of "Her Royal Highness," so she was never officially royal nor accepted as a member of the royal family.

This was a humiliation the couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor after their marriage, never forgot and never forgave.

Even so, it's not clear Wallis Simpson ever voted in an American election, before or after her marriage to the ex-king. After 1928, just eight years after women got the right to vote in the U.S., Wallis spent the rest of her life living in the U.K., France or the Bahamas, only occasionally returning to the U.S. to visit.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×