Meghan and Harry had a secret “ preliminary meeting ” with California Governor Newsom before the election

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reportedly held a secret “ get-to-know ” meeting with California Governor Gavin Newsom in the run-up to the election – just weeks after the former Royals ‘violated’ the terms of their ‘Megxit’ deal by politics.

The Sussexes, now living in the Golden State, took part in a one-hour virtual meeting with the Democratic governor on Oct. 19, according to a memo from The Sun.

It is not clear what was discussed during the meeting with Newsom’s office, telling the outlet that it does not comment on “the content of meetings between the governor and private parties or his staff.”

At the time, the presidential election was just two weeks away, and Newsom faced mounting calls to line up a woman of color to replace then-California Senator Kamala Harris if she was elected vice president.

The alleged meeting between the former Royals and the prominent politician came after Meghan and Harry were accused in September of ‘exceeding’ in a Time 100 video telling American voters to ‘reject’ hate speech, disinformation and online negativity ‘in’ the most important election of our life. ‘

Members of the royal family should be politically neutral.

Meghan and Harry have stepped down as senior Royals effective March 2020, but part of their agreement with Buckingham Palace was that ‘everything they do will uphold Her Majesty’s values’.

The memo The Sun saw describes a video conference from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ‘with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’.

The topic of the meeting was listed simply as “ Introductory Meeting ” with the call that came from the governor’s mansion in Sacramento, the outlet reported.

Newsom, once widely tipped for a future run at the White House, at the time faced phone calls to choose a woman of color as Harris’s future successor.

Some longtime state Democrats argued that if and when Harris took office in Washington, the Senate would no longer have black female members.

At least two black representatives Barbara Lee and Karen Bass were in the running, but the governor later named California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, making him the first Spanish senator.

News of the alleged secret meeting threatens to further heighten tensions between the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace after the pair sparked an argument over their politically charged comments in September.

Meghan and Harry broke with the royal convention when they released a video message barely obscuring Donald Trump.

In the video, which came in a Time 100 video that accompanied the publication of the 2020 list of the most influential people, Harry urged Americans to “ reject hate speech, ” while Meghan said the “most important election of our lives.”

“As we approach November, it is vital that we reject hate speech, disinformation and online negativity,” said Harry – in a phrase that many observers viewed as a swipe at Trump.

“ When the bad outweighs the good, for many, whether we realize it or not, it affects our ability to be compassionate and our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others. Because when a person buys negativity online, the effects are felt exponentially. It’s time to not just think, but act, ”he said.

Born in California, Meghan encouraged viewers to vote, telling them this was the ‘most important’ election.

“We are six weeks away from the election, and today is Voter Registration Day,” she said.

‘Every four years we are told the same thing:’ This is the most important election of our lives.

But this one is. When we vote, our values ​​are translated into action and our voices are heard. ‘

The message was widely seen as an attack on Trump and support for Joe Biden, breaking with the age-old tradition of members of the royal family to remain politically neutral.

Buckingham Palace tried to distance himself from Harry’s comments by saying that “the Duke is not a working member of the Royal Family” and that his comments “were made in a personal capacity.”

But senior Royal aides said their comments had “ violated ” the terms of the ‘Megxit’ deal they struck with the Queen when they ceased royal life and crossed the pond.

‘The [royal] family all wring their hands and thinking: where is this going and is this keeping the agreement to uphold the values ​​of the queen? The feeling is that it is a violation of the agreement, ‘a source told The Sunday Times.

Royal sources said the couple had “ crossed a line ” and embarrassed the Queen by potentially creating trouble for the monarch if Trump was elected for a second term.

“If Trump is reelected and revisits here, what should the Queen say if her grandson and his wife have effectively campaigned against him?” said a source.

Trump also hit back at the couple over the comments, saying he was’ not a fan of hers’ and that he ‘wanted to[ed] good luck to Harry as he will need it. ‘

A Sussex spokesman denied that their comments were politically charged.

“The Duke’s message does not refer to a specific political party or candidate, but is instead a call for decency in the way we treat each other,” they said at the time.

Meghan voted by mail early in the presidential election, sources said in November.

Although she is no longer officially a royal, she is the first person with such a close connection to the monarchy to run in an American election in modern history.

Since Harry is not a US citizen, he was unable to participate in the election.

There are also rumors that Meghan is considering a political career of her own – and even aspiring to the top job at the White House.

A source close to the couple told Vanity Fair last year that she was “ seriously considering running for president ” if they “ ever gave up their title and that was one of the reasons she was “ so reluctant to have her U.S. citizenship. give up ‘.

However, other insiders have denied the claims that she has “no ambition” to enter politics as a career.