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WASHINGTON — Delusional Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sought US political clout far beyond the dreams of any British royal since King George III, The Post has learned, with the Duchess of Sussex angling to take over the Senate seat held by Kamala Harris ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Weeks before Democrat Joe Biden’s win over President Donald Trump, a source says, Markle requested a sitdown with California Gov. Gavin Newsom because she “wanted to be considered to be appointed” to the seat held by Harris, which she vacated just before becoming vice president on Jan. 20, 2021. The source added that the discussion was publicly described as a welcome-to-California chat to head off potential inquiries.
It is unclear just how far Markle’s appeal got with Newsom, who appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to replace Harris two days before her swearing-in as Biden’s second-in-command. Padilla subsequently won election to a full six-year term in 2022.
A Sussex source firmly denied that Markle wanted to take over the Harris seat, while a rep for Newsom did not respond to a request for comment.
A memorandum from Newsom’s office that surfaced in February 2021 confirmed the governor had an “introductory meeting” with the royal couple on Oct. 19, 2020, though the specific topics discussed were not disclosed and the Democrat’s team characterized it as a social occasion. It was not immediately clear whether Markle asked to meet with Newsom separately post-election.
Had the Duchess of Sussex been appointed to the world’s greatest deliberative body, the move likely would have been challenged on constitutional grounds. Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the founding document states that “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust … shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”
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A British royal serving in the Senate, even a non-working one, would also have flown in the face of America’s republican tradition, as Alexander Hamilton — the founder of The Post — wrote in “The Federalist Papers” that “the importance of the prohibition of titles of nobility … [is] the corner-stone of republican government; for so long as they are excluded, there can never be serious danger that the government will be any other than that of the people.”
The ill-fated Senate maneuvering wasn’t the only time Harry and Meghan dipped their toes into US politics while trying to achieve the same prominence they enjoyed in the UK.
In late 2021, the couple requested an Oval Office meeting with Biden, as well as accommodations at nearby Blair House — a perk reserved for foreign leaders on state visits, multiple sources say.
White House staff quickly rejected the idea, with one source noting the spectacle of Harry and Meghan sitting down with the leader of the free world “would have caused a major diplomatic kerfuffle” with 10 Downing Street and the British Royal Family.
Another source, a former Biden aide, said the president and first lady Jill Biden — longstanding admirers of Queen Elizabeth II — “didn’t want to get into a family squabble” by hosting the rogue royals.
Had their pitch been successful, Harry and Meghan would have gained immeasurable prestige and stature at a time when they were struggling to find their identity following their January 2020 “Megxit” from royal duties.
To that end, the couple hired several consultants who had worked in the Barack Obama White House — including Harry’s current chief of staff Miranda Barbot — and acted as a bridge to the Biden administration, relaying the royal couple’s audacious request to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki, Obama’s former communications director, was one of those conduits. In her 2024 memoir “Say More,” Psaki — currently a host on left-wing cable channel MS NOW — recalled that Meghan once sent a box of lemons to Psaki’s Virginia home so she could carry them past White House security and deliver them to Jill Biden’s East Wing office.
The Sussex source declined Thursday that the couple had asked for either an Oval Office meeting or to stay at Blair House, but Harry and Meghan have a history of trying to use the American presidency for PR coups.
In September 2022, the royal pair inquired whether they could hitch a ride back to the United States aboard Air Force One after the late queen’s funeral.
The request was promptly denied.
Harry and Meghan also tried to use their influence by other means.
In September 2020, the couple gave a video interview to Time magazine in which they urged Americans to vote and “reject hate speech,” which many interpreted as support for Biden. At the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were called out by some commentators for breaking from the British tradition that royals do not participate in party politics.
“I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he’s going to need it,” Trump responded dismissively to the couple’s appeal.
Meghan, who retained her American citizenship even after marrying Harry in 2018, tried to make her voice heard in legislative matters as well. In November 2021, she reached out to several senators to lobby for federally mandated paid family leave.
Ultimately the couple’s attempt to become kingmakers fizzled out, similar to their ambitions in Hollywood and the lifestyle space.
Harry and Meghan even wore out their welcome with the Biden administration, sources say, despite the first couple’s personal sympathy for the prince following the loss of his mother, Princess Diana, in a 1997 car crash. Joe Biden’s first wife Neilia and infant daughter Naomi were killed in a 1972 vehicle wreck that also injured the couple’s two sons, Beau and Hunter.
Jill Biden, meanwhile, had been a regular at The Invictus Games, the sporting event for wounded warriors founded by Harry in 2014 — often appearing at the prince’s side. Jill ultimately stopped attending the games after she became first lady in January 2021, due once again to the optics surrounding Harry’s departure from the UK.
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