A Republican congressman has called on the U.K. government to strip Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex after he said they engaged in an “inappropriate act of domestic interference” in U.S. politics.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) wrote to U.K. Ambassador Karen Pierce, objecting to what he called “their continued interference in the United States presidential election.” The letter was first reported by DailyMail.com.
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He pointed to comments by the Duke (who is British) and the Duchess (an American) who recently recorded a video urging Americans to register to vote and “reject hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity.”
“The Duchess of Sussex, whose political opinions are thinly disguised and widely reported, went so far as to label the 2020 election the ‘most important election of our lifetime,’” Smith wrote. “These actions represent a serious breach of the British Royal Family’s policy of political neutrality and an inappropriate act of domestic interference by one of our closest allies.”
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The pair stepped back from their royal duties earlier this year and are no longer using the titles of His or Her Royal Highness, but Smith noted that they are still known by their titles as Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The couple said on their Sussex Royal website that moving forward they weren’t going to use their “His/Her Royal Highness” titles although they still retain them. They also declared that they wouldn’t use the word “royal” or “Sussex Royal” for any future business endeavors.
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“Therefore, by allowing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to retain their titles, and these political comments to continue, the British government is effectively condoning interference in the 2020 United States Presidential Election from officials at the highest level of the British establishment,” Smith wrote.
He then calls on the government to strip the pair of “all titles, styles and privileges which they currently retain.”
Fox News’ Naledi Ushe contributed to this report.