Several weeks before Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump, Markle requested a meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. According to a source, she “wanted to be considered for an appointment” to the Senate seat that became vacant after Harris became vice president on January 20, 2021.

The source also said the meeting was publicly portrayed as a routine introductory conversation with the governor following Markle’s move to California — supposedly to avoid questions about her true intentions.

It remains unclear how far Markle’s initiative went. Newsom ultimately appointed California Secretary of State Alex Padilla to the vacant seat, just two days before Harris was sworn in as vice president.

A representative for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex categorically denied that Markle wanted Harris’ former Senate seat.

However, a memo from the governor’s office that became public in February 2021 confirmed that Newsom held an “introductory meeting” with the royal couple on October 19, 2020. The specific topics discussed were not disclosed, while the Democrat’s team characterized the meeting as a social engagement.

It also remains unclear whether Markle requested a separate meeting with Newsom after the presidential election.

Had the Duchess of Sussex actually been appointed to the Senate — the highest legislative body in the United States — the move would likely have raised constitutional questions.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the US Constitution states that no person holding public office may, without the consent of Congress, accept any “present, Emolument, Office, or Title” from a king, prince or foreign state.

The presence of a British royal in the US Senate — even if she were no longer carrying out royal duties — could also have clashed with America’s republican tradition. Alexander Hamilton, one of the authors of The Federalist Papers and founder of the New York Post, wrote that the prohibition on titles of nobility was a “cornerstone of republican government,” arguing that as long as such titles were excluded, there would be little danger of the government becoming anything other than a government of the people.

But the Senate story was far from the only instance in which Harry and Meghan sought to use American politics in an attempt to achieve the same level of influence and prominence they had enjoyed in Britain.

Attempt to Get Into the Oval Office

In late 2021, according to several sources, the couple requested a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office and also inquired about the possibility of staying at nearby Blair House, the residence typically provided to foreign leaders during state visits.

White House officials quickly rejected the idea. One source noted that a meeting between Harry and Meghan and the US president “would have caused a major diplomatic scandal” with Downing Street and the British royal family.

Another source, who had previously served as a Biden adviser, said the president and first lady Jill Biden, who had long felt affection for Queen Elizabeth II, “didn’t want to get involved in a family feud” by hosting the couple who had stepped away from the royal family.

Had their initiative succeeded, Harry and Meghan could have gained enormous political weight and prestige at a time when, after stepping down from royal duties in January 2020 in a move dubbed “Megxit,” they were attempting to redefine their place in public life.

To pursue this goal, the couple hired several consultants who had previously worked in Barack Obama’s administration. Among them was Miranda Barbot, now Harry’s chief of staff. These advisers acted as intermediaries between the couple and the Biden administration, conveying their highly ambitious requests to the White House.

One such intermediary was Jen Psaki, who was then White House press secretary and had previously led Obama’s communications team.

In her 2024 memoir Say More, Psaki recalled that Meghan once sent her a box of lemons. According to Psaki, she was supposed to carry them through White House security and deliver them to Jill Biden’s office in the East Wing.

A representative for the Sussexes also denied that the couple had requested a meeting in the Oval Office or accommodation at Blair House. However, Harry and Meghan already had a history of attempting to use connections with the US president to gain additional public attention.

Attempt to Use Air Force One

In September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the couple inquired about the possibility of returning to the United States aboard Air Force One with the American delegation.

The request was quickly rejected.

Harry and Meghan also attempted to use their influence in other ways.

In September 2020, they gave Time a video interview in which they urged Americans to vote and “reject hate speech.” Many interpreted the remarks as an indirect endorsement of Biden.

At the time, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were criticized for violating the British royal family’s tradition that members of the monarchy should not participate in partisan politics.

“I wish Harry luck — because he’s going to need it,” Trump said at the time, dismissively responding to the couple’s appeal.

Meghan’s Lobbying Efforts in Congress

Meghan, who retained her American citizenship after marrying Harry in 2018, also attempted to influence the legislative process directly.

In November 2021, she contacted several senators to support the introduction of federally mandated paid leave for parents and family caregivers.

Ultimately, however, the couple’s political ambitions failed — much like their aspirations in Hollywood and the lifestyle sphere.

According to sources, Harry and Meghan eventually lost the goodwill of even the Biden administration, despite the first couple’s personal sympathy for the prince, who lost his mother, Princess Diana, in a car crash in 1997.

Joe Biden himself lost his first wife, Neilia, and their infant daughter Naomi in a car accident in 1972. Their sons Beau and Hunter were also injured in the crash.

Jill Biden, meanwhile, regularly attended the Invictus Games, the sporting event for wounded service members founded by Harry in 2014. The first lady was frequently seen alongside the prince.

However, after Jill Biden became first lady in January 2021, she stopped attending the Games — again because of the political and diplomatic consequences surrounding Harry’s decision to step back from his duties as a member of the British royal family.

Ultimately, the Sussexes’ sweeping political ambitions in the United States failed to produce the results they wanted. Their attempts to gain access to the president, secure a political appointment and influence legislation became another chapter in their rapid transition from British royal life to a new role in the American public sphere.