Sussexes to remain publicly neutral in US presidential election after 2020 Trump spat

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain publicly neutral in the upcoming US presidential election after a public spat with Donald Trump in 2020, The Telegraph understands.

The couple’s Archewell Foundation issued its first statement on the forthcoming contest on Tuesday night, revealing that its staff had been sending out personalised letters to unregistered voters and insisting that “every voice matters”.

But it stopped short of endorsing a candidate. The statement said: “Voting is not just a right; it’s a fundamental way to influence the fate of our communities.

“At The Archewell Foundation, we recognise that civic engagement, no matter one’s political party, is at the heart of a more just and equitable world.”

In September 2020, Trump said that he was “no fan” of the Duchess after the couple released a video urging American voters to “reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity”.

That message, spoken directly to camera, prompted accusations that they had breached UK protocol demanding political neutrality from members of the Royal family.

The comments were considered by some to be an endorsement of Joe Biden.

Their latest statement marking Voter Registration Day described their efforts “to support and empower our communities” but left little room for political interpretation.

Unlike last time, it was released through the Archewell Foundation rather than via the couple’s private office or in the form of a personal statement.

As the Sussexes urged Americans to use their vote in 2020, the Duchess described the presidential race between Democrat Joe Biden and the incumbent Republican president Donald Trump, as the “most important election of our lifetime”.

The Duke said: “This election I am not able to vote in the US. But many of you may not know that I haven’t been able to vote in the UK my entire life. As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity.”

At the time, Trump had been repeatedly criticised for using inflammatory language. The previous month, a post by Trump on Facebook was removed for violating its policy against the spread of misinformation about coronavirus.

Days earlier, feminist activist Gloria Steinem announced that Meghan had joined her in cold-calling Americans urging them to vote.

Ms Steinem also revealed that the Duchess had said she was “so excited” to see a mixed-race vice-presidential candidate in Kamala Harris, who was on the Democratic ticket.

Before marrying into the Royal family, Meghan made her views about Trump known, describing him as “misogynistic” and “divisive”.

In response to the 2020 video, Trump stated that he was “no fan” of hers and wished “a lot of luck to Harry because he’s going to need it”.

While Ms Harris is now directly up against Trump in the race for the White House, Meghan has so far kept her counsel.

Both the Duke and the Duchess are expected to remain non-partisan ahead of the Nov 5 election and will not make any official endorsement.

In 2020, Buckingham Palace distanced itself from the Duke’s comments, insisting that he was no longer a working member of the Royal family and was therefore speaking in a personal capacity.

However, one palace insider was said to have claimed he had “crossed the line”.

A source close to the Duke insisted at the time that he was not referring to Trump or any other candidate but was talking about the “febrile” tone of the debate in the run-up to the election.

“He is building on a lot of stuff that he’s said before about online communities, how we engage with each other online, rather than specifically making any political points,” they said.

In simply urging Americans to vote, the Sussexes are on safe ground.

In 2003, while opening the second term of the Welsh parliament, Elizabeth II voiced concern at the low turnout in recent elections, saying: “I share your concerns that we must encourage all our people to exercise their right to vote.”