Sussexion Redux
Markle biographer: “Meghan running for president is possible and I’d even say likely."
Why should Americans care about the Royals? Because, say biographers of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex could be eyeing a run for president. Jack Hughes breaks it all down in a follow up to last week’s essay.
by Jack Hughes
In last week’s edition of The Experiment, we compared the Royal Family to the Roy family on HBO’s hit series Succession. It broke a record as it generated more reader responses (two) than anything previously written by this author. They included some insightful comparisons and raised thoughtful questions, perhaps the most poignant of which cut to the heart of the matter: Why should Americans care about the Royals?
With impeccable timing, the answer presented itself this week – Americans should care because Meghan Markle could become President of the United States. Is this a fanciful notion? Of course. But it’s arguably no less fanciful than if you’d been told, as recently as 2016, an actor best known for her admittedly solid performance on the USA Network show Suits would soon become a member of the British Royal Family.
Two biographers say she has presidential ambitions. Per Omid Scobie: “She has her eyes set on the U.S. presidency. Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we might see Meghan become president.” Tom Bower believes: “Meghan running for president is possible and I’d even say likely. I really believe that’s where she sees herself going. I think she has a good chance of getting into the White House.”
To be clear, these aren’t just random Markle admirers – they’re people who’ve spent years doing the legwork of going out to interview her associates and acquaintances. Bower is getting something in the six-figures for his biography of Markle according to Page 6 who quoted a source saying he’s “terrifyingly thorough in his research. No stone will be left unturned.” All this to say, he’s not peddling uninformed gossip.
An unnamed senior British Labour Party figure, described as “a veteran of Tony Blair’s Downing Street administration with strong links to Washington,” confirmed Markle is “networking among senior Democrats with a view to building a campaign and fundraising team for a tilt at the US presidency.” They claim, “Democratic Party networks are buzzing about Meghan’s political ambitions and potential backers…”
This brings us to the development of the past week, Markle’s letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in which she advocated for paid parental leave. Her letter opens with her explaining she’s not an elected official nor a politician, just a mom and one of many engaged citizens– but it’s hard to miss it’s written on Duchess of Sussex stationary and signed ‘Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.’
It’s remarkable not only because she uses her Royal title but for how it reads: “The working mom or parent is facing the conflict of being present or being paid. The sacrifice of either comes at a great cost. For many, this sacrifice goes back further than the past 20 months; it’s 20 or 30 years, even longer—decades of giving time, body, and endless energy not just in the pursuit of the American dream but [stability].”
In her letter, the Duchess talks about her humble upbringing – such as how she “grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler” – but the overarching narrative is less personal than political. “People in our country work incredibly hard, and yet the ask is soft: for a level playing field to achieve their version of a common dream—what is fair, and equal, and right…too many Americans are forced to shortchange themselves.”
It ends with peroration that could be read, without edits, in an acceptance speech for a future Democratic presidential nomination: “I know how politically charged things can—and have—become. But this isn’t about Right or Left, it’s about right or wrong. This is about putting families above politics…it’s something we all seem to agree on. At a point when everything feels so divisive, let this be a shared goal that unites us.”
Perhaps the greatest reason to believe her letter could resonate among Democrats is the Republicans hated it. Congressman Jason Smith (R-MO) said “Ms. Markle latest interference in U.S. politics reignites the question in my mind as to why the Royal Family does not simply strip her and Harry officially of their titles.” Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) said simply “stick to acting instead of trying to play politics.”
Smith’s ask of the Royals highlights the underlying Succession-like family drama. Marke’s letter came a week after the Royals rebranded themselves as the sovereigns of sustainability. Perhaps their rare political intervention prompted the Duchess to do the same, to avoid being out-flanked on the left? The more her ambitions were stunted in the United Kingdom the higher her ambitions were set in the United States.
When comparing the Royals and the Roys, we opined that Prince Charles was like Logan Roy’s amiably detached-from-reality son Connor. In retrospect, it’d be closer to the mark(le) to say Meghan is Connor. In an early Succession episode, Connor chairs The Roy Family Charity Function and, afterwards, quotes Napoleon to his bemused father: “I can no longer obey. I have tasted command. I cannot give it up.”
Having briefly marveled at the view from the summit, Connor decides he can’t climb down from the mountain and decides, you guessed it, he’ll run to become President of the United States. As his incredulous brother Roman chides, “Do you think that that’s, like, a natural progression from never done nothing, never, to most important job in the world? Like, could you maybe get a little experience – like, at a CVS?”
In the first season of Succession, Connor doesn’t live near the other Roys just as Meghan doesn’t live near the other Royals – both sought freedom by moving out to the western United States. Connor has no interest in the Roy family business and contributes his time through its charitable foundation. Meghan has no interest in the Royal Family’s business and devotes her time to the Archwell charitable foundation.
Connor is blind to the fact that his quixotic presidential run is some self-delusional fantasy. He has enough money to retain high-powered big-name political consultants and is thrilled to learn that he has a small but devoted group of followers who call themselves ‘Con-Heads,’ but his unrealistic ambitions are a source of frustration and embarrassment to the Roys. Would the same not be true of Meghan and the Royals?
We’ve come full circle – this is why Americans should care about the Royals. While Connor’s comical presidential run only irked the Roy family, if Meghan were to run it’d impact more than the Royal Family. Her friendship with political queenmakers Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey; her high profile; and her vocal opposition to Trump and advocacy of social justice issues could gain her a following.
Some argue Markle could start small, running for Congress, Senator, or Governor of California – where she and husband Harry have set down political roots. Others, including some of her close friends, say she could conceivably mount a campaign as early as 2024 if President Biden doesn’t run again. A first step, all concede, is she must lose her Royal title – so the Republicans might be playing right into her hands.
Jack Hughes is a communications consultant based in Canada. His previous contributions to The Experiment include “Same of Thrones,” “Tippecanoe and Agnew Anew,” “Harris / Shuri 2020,” “Bidenfeld,” “Firth and Firthiness,” “The Ballot of Bill McKay,” and “The World Wants ‘The West Wing,’” among others. His inexplicably extensive writings on Dan Quayle are “The Unusual Suspect,” “The Unusual Suspect II,” “The GOPfather,” “Porqua, CoQau?”, “Quayle’s Hunting Season” and “I Told You So.” Connect with him on LinkedIn here.
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