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Piers Morgan accuses Meghan of being 'partisan' in US election, asks Queen to strip Sussexes of their titles

While Meghan hasn't endorsed any candidate, her call for 'change' during an online voting initiative made it amply clear which side she is on

British journalist Piers Morgan has called for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to be stripped of their royal titles after Meghan Markle weighed in on the upcoming U.S. election. On Thursday, August 20, the Duchess appeared as a special guest at the online “When All Women Vote” event to encourage more people to vote. “When We All Vote” is an outreach group co-chaired by former first lady Michelle Obama, actor Tom Hanks, and others, founded in a bid to increase participation at the polls.

During her appearance, Meghan said those who don’t cast their votes in the election are “complicit” and, while she did not endorse a specific candidate, "We all know what's at stake this year. I know it, I think all of you certainly know it. You're just as mobilized and energized to the change that we all need and deserve."

"We vote to honor those who came before us and to protect those who will come after us because that's what community is all about and that's specifically what this election is all about," she said further.

While U.K. law does not ban royalty from voting, it is reportedly considered unconstitutional for them to do so and the Queen is politically neutral. Morgan, following this, tweeted, “The Queen must strip the Sussexes of their titles. They can’t remain as royals & spout off about foreign elections in such a brazenly partisan way.”

When a Twitter user retorted, “She’s American and she agreed not to use the title Royal Highness,” Morgan responded with, “Last time I checked she’s still calling herself the Duchess of Sussex.”

When a Twitter sarcastically noted, “Oh no she's passionate about her country and who gets elected...... How dare she,” Morgan replied, “She can do what she likes, she just can’t make politically partisan statements while remaining Duchess of Sussex. The royals are not allowed to do that. If Meghan & Harry truly want ‘freedom’ from royal duty & rules, they should stop trading off their royal titles.”

Another Twitter user said, “They’re just sharing their opinion. I know it must frustrate your ego that others may not share in your narrow and very restricted paradigm regarding Covid but hey their opinion is equally as valid as yours,” to which Morgan responded with, “My ‘narrow paradigm’ is that covid’s a very dangerous virus, this global pandemic is still in an early stage, and those who seek to downplay the ongoing threat are utterly deluded & will directly contribute to the crisis lasting longer than it should.”

The Sussexes caused a stir back in January when they announced their intention to stand down as senior members of the royal family. The couple vowed to become financially independent and to split their time between North America and Britain. Subsequently, they moved to Canada and later to Los Angeles, Markle’s hometown. Morgan has been known to take digs at the Sussexes time and again. 

Earlier this year, Morgan admitted his criticisms of Meghan on Good Morning Britain and from his social media account had gone “too far”. In an interview with The Sunday Times, Morgan said, “I think that’s a perfectly fair criticism. It’s probably not wise, if you’re a columnist, to make things too personal. Have I taken things a bit too far? Probably. Do I think that will govern and temper how I talk about them going forward? Absolutely.”