Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Break Royal Protocol With 2020 Election Video

Ready for change! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle urged Americans to exercise their right to vote ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recorded a video message in honor of National Voter Registration Day that aired during an ABC special unveiling Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Break Royal Protocol With 2020 Election Video
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“Every four years we are told the same thing: that this is the most important election of our lifetime. But this one is,” Meghan, 39, said on Tuesday, September 22, while sitting beside Harry, 36, on a bench in the backyard of their new home in the Montecito area of Santa Barbara, California. “When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter, because you do and you deserve to be heard.”

The prince, who is not a U.S. citizen, explained that he cannot vote on November 3 and has never voted in the U.K. (members of the royal family are expected to remain politically neutral). However, he took the opportunity to remind Americans the importance of rejecting “hate speech, misinformation and online negativity” as President Donald Trump faces off against former vice president Joe Biden.

“When the bad outweighs the good, for many, whether we realize it or not, it erodes our ability to have compassion and our ability to put ourself in someone else’s shoes,” Harry said. “Because when one person buys into negativity online, the effects are felt exponentially. It’s time to not only reflect, but act.”

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem revealed earlier in the week that Meghan “cold-called voters” soon after moving back to her native California.

“She has a kind of stereotype hanging over her head, which is ‘princess.’ The whole idea of ‘princess’ is a problem,” the journalist, 86, told Access Hollywood on Sunday, September 20. “Meg is herself, smart, authentic, funny, political. She came home to vote.”

Harry, Meghan and their 16-month-old son, Archie, settled on the West Coast earlier this year after stepping back as senior members of the British royal family in March.

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source: usmagazine.com