Prince Harry and Meghan Markle say voting is ‘a fundamental way to influence communities’ and make a ‘more equitable world’ – as they issue a new statement ahead of the presidential election

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have stressed that voting is a “fundamental way to influence communities” and create a “fairer world”, they stressed in a new statement ahead of the US election.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in Montecito, California, celebrated National Voter Registration Day yesterday by engaging the Archewell team in a letter-writing activity.

Archewell’s website describes how the couple’s staff used Vote Forward’s impactful letter-writing tool to encourage unregistered voters to vote in November’s presidential election.

The statement said: “Voting is not just a right; it is a fundamental way to influence the fate of our communities.

At The Archewell Foundation, we recognize that community engagement, regardless of one’s political affiliation, is at the heart of a more just and equal world.

‘By participating in these kinds of initiatives, we want to reinforce the message that every vote counts.’

The couple then invited readers to join us in this important endeavor and volunteer to write letters to unregistered voters.

The statement ended: “Together, let us ensure that every voter is informed and empowered to participate in shaping America’s future.”

Before the last presidential election, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filmed a video statement from the garden of their Montecito country home, where they had just moved in.

In the video address, Prince Harry called on American voters to “reject hate speech,” while Meghan described the 2020 presidential election as “the most influential election of our lifetime.”

Although Harry and Meghan did not name their preferred candidate, many viewers found it “clear” that they supported Joe Biden over Donald Trump, with the Sussexes accused of “breaching” the terms of their “Megxit” deal.

Afterwards, Republicans and other critics called on the royal family to strip the couple of their titles, calling the duke and duchess’s interference “inappropriate.”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said at the time: “We do not comment. The Duke is not a working member of the Royal Family and any comments he makes are made in his personal capacity.”

After the video statement, Piers Morgan said: “Prince Harry sticking his woke nose into the US election and effectively telling Americans to vote against President Trump is completely unacceptable behaviour for a member of the Royal Family.”

Former Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker, the author of the book And What Do You Do? What The Royal Family Don’t Want You To Know, said Harry should not comment on US policy while he is still a “representative” of the UK.

‘I think it is appropriate for any citizen to comment on the US election. The problem is that Harry has retained his HRH status and is not a citizen but is still a representative of this country,’ Baker told MailOnline.

‘He must stop trying to have a foot in the door in both camps: royal when it suits him and private when it doesn’t.

“Or to turn the old saying around: I agree with what he says, but I disagree with his right to say it.”

A few years ago, a friend of the duchess told Vanity Fair that one of the reasons Meghan didn’t give up her US citizenship when she married a member of the royal family was to keep open the option of entering politics.

She has already become involved in policy issues. The Duchess was an outspoken critic of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and threatened to go to Washington DC to join the protests.

She also lobbied members of Congress to pass mandatory paid parental leave, writing to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer, and calling senators to urge them to support the measure.

She signed her letters to lawmakers with her royal title: “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.”

In August 2020, Meghan spoke with activist Gloria Steinem about women’s rights, representation, and the importance of voting. Since then, she has been photographed with the political activist on multiple occasions.

In April, the couple ventured back into American politics when they joined a campaign to warn American voters about disinformation during the upcoming presidential election.

Their Archewell Foundation and other Hollywood political players backed an initiative to prepare American voters for a possible attack of AI deepfake information, Axios reported.

This year’s campaign is being coordinated by Miles Taylor, Chief Policy Officer of The Future US. Taylor served as chief of staff of the Department of Homeland Security during Donald Trump’s presidency and was the anonymous author of a New York Times op-ed exposing the dangers of a Trump presidency.

He is now sounding the alarm about the use of fake videos and images.

“This is a disaster waiting to happen. No one is vaccinating the public,” he told Axios.

With the rise of cheap generative AI and a plethora of social media platforms available, experts warn that manipulated images, edited videos and misleading robocalls could dominate politics this year.

Further complicating the situation is the lack of regulation and coordination between relevant federal agencies and social media companies.

“The government doesn’t talk to social media companies. Many of the social media companies don’t want to have anything to do with the government — which means new AI threats can go unnoticed,” Taylor noted.

Google, Meta and OpenAI have pledged to combat misleading AI election content, while Jesse Dylan, son of Bob Dylan, has produced two ads to raise awareness of the issue. The ads will air in the affected states this spring.