Fans Wonder If Meghan Markle Will Break Royal Protocol And Vote In The 2018 Midterms
Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Sussex, just finished a whirlwind of a royal tour that included visiting Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, and the Kingdom of Tonga. During her stay in New Zealand on October 28, Meghan Markle honored the country’s 125th anniversary of women’s suffrage by giving a rousing speech about women’s right to vote, according to People.
The speech that the popular royal gave in New Zealand mirrored what she espoused on a blog she used to maintain called the Tig. The former Suits actress discussed the importance of casting your ballot in a blog post titled, “Because You Must.”
The following excerpt from the Tig was written while she was filming the legal drama in Canada.
“The right to vote is something for which blood, sweat, and tears have been shed; the struggle was endless for us to have this liberty,” wrote Meghan.
“I ticked the boxes on my absentee ballot last week, closing my eyes and thinking of my great grandparents who didn’t have this right (and thinking of how it would have changed the lives of my grandparents if they had). So on this day we urge you to exercise said right. Please vote. The fact that we can makes us the lucky ones,” she added.
It’s clear from her words that Meghan Markle believes in voting, and that she wants her many fans to do so as well.
Now, as Americans are heading out to vote in the 2018 midterms in droves, fans of the 37-year-old expectant mom are wondering if her passionate stance on women’s voting rights translates to a desire to cast her ballot in the U.S.; and, if so, is she still eligible to vote?
Per Town & Country, Meghan Markle is legally allowed to vote in the midterms because she is still technically a United States citizen. In the meantime, the Duchess of Sussex is currently going through the lengthy process of applying for British citizenship by naturalization since she is married to a British citizen, Prince Harry.
Why Meghan Markle Isn't Voting in the Midterm Elections https://t.co/yUqfhzoSze
— Knoik (@Knoik) November 5, 2018
However, the bigger question may be if Meghan Markle will risk a breach of royal protocol by voting. The royal family’s website states that Markle’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, doesn’t vote in elections because the site indicates that she needs to be viewed as an “impartial as head of state.”
“Senior members of the royal family under convention usually don’t take up their right to vote,” reports People, and the queen’s action of refraining from voting allows her to remain neutral in politics. The queen is “unable to vote or stand for election,” according to the royal family’s website.
So, if Meghan Markle votes in the United States election, the action may be frowned upon by the royals. Markle’s office at Kensington Palace was contacted to see if she had voted in the 2018 midterms, but they would not comment at the time.
