The ire of the House of Windsor is on display again. So too (more worryingly for them) is their impotence. Harry and Meghan’s latest public utterances have clearly rankled with the royals the couple have left behind.
From the palace’s perspective, the pair have well and truly crossed a line with their comments about the US presidential election which have been interpreted widely as favouring the Democratic contender, Joe Biden.
In a video for the US magazine Time, Harry urged citizens in his newly adopted country to ‘reject hate speech’. Meghan stressed that November’s poll was the most important election of our lifetime. She is no fan of Donald Trump. The President has made clear the feeling is mutual.
Supporters of the Sussexes insist this was all about voter registration. Their spokesperson described it as a ‘non-partisan call for decency’.
Rattled and riled, royal officials can but watch from the sidelines
The case for the prosecution is that this ill-advised foray into US politics shows the duke and the duchess have abandoned a neutrality that should be as much a part of their everyday existence as the bodyguards that keep them safe.
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