Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) revealed Friday that he had issued a letter to Dame Karen Pierce, the British ambassador to the United States at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to express his concern over Harry and Meghan’s “continued interference” in the 2020 presidential election.
The congressman stated he became “concerned” by recent comments the married couple made amid the virtual gala for the “TIME 100: The Most Influential People of 2020” event.
"As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity," said Harry on September 22. "It's time to not only reflect but act.”
"We're just six weeks out from Election Day, and today is National Voter Registration Day," noted Markle, who is a US citizen and eligible to vote on November 3.
Smith asserts Harry and Meghan engaged in domestic interference via encouraging Americans to vote and instructing them to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity.”
He also highlighted that while the British royal family has historically followed a policy of political neutrality, the leanings of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are “thinly disguised and widely reported.”
While Harry and Meghan’s exit from the royal family is public knowledge, Smith contended that Queen Elizabeth II has allowed them to retain their titles of duke and duchess, as well as certain “privileges.”
“Therefore, by allowing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to retain their titles, and these political comments to continue, the British Government is effectively condoning interference in the 2020 United States Presidential Election from officials at the highest level of the British establishment,” he wrote.
The congressman concluded by demanding the British government muzzle Harry and Meghan or strip the two of “all titles, styles, and privileges which they currently retain.”
However, when US President Donald Trump was asked about the couple’s remarks last month, he appeared to take the comments in stride, despite the reporter claiming that Harry and Meghan “essentially encouraged people to vote for [Democratic presidential candidate] Joe Biden.”
“I’m not a fan of hers,” Trump said of Markle during his September 23 news conference from the White House. “I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he’s going to need it.”