As Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey about their split with the British royal family went viral in early March 2021, other rumors gained steam about Meghan’s political ambitions.
According to the gossip site Page Six, Meghan is already networking with Democrats, and her biographer and friend Omid Scobie previously said she had her eyes set on the presidency.
However, we have no official confirmation from Meghan’s team about her plans for a future presidential run.
In September 2020, Harry and Meghan commented on the U.S. presidential elections, calling on voters to “reject hate speech” and vote, an unusual statement given that the royals are traditionally expected to be politically neutral. Since then, many have speculated that Meghan kept her American citizenship in order to keep her options open so she could run for the presidency herself. There was even a spoof website promoting her "presidential campaign" in late 2020.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump told Fox News in late March 2021 that he would run again in 2024 if Meghan entered the race. "I hope that happens. Because if that happened, I think I'd have an even stronger feeling toward running," he said. “I'm not a fan of hers. I think that what she talks about, the royal family and the Queen — I happen to think, I know the Queen, as you know. I met with the Queen, and I think the Queen is a tremendous person. And I am not a fan of Meghan,” he added.
If Meghan decided to run for president, she could be eligible. She was born in the United States, is at least 35 years old, and has been a resident for at least 14 years. But Markle would first have to give up her title as Duchess, and she would be prohibited from receiving any gifts or items of value from a foreign state or its rulers, as per our past fact check discussing whether her children could have possible presidential runs.
It is entirely possible that Meghan has political ambitions for the future. But, at the time of this writing, aside from anonymous sources and friends of the couple, there has been no official confirmation from Meghan regarding her plans for a presidential run. Thus, for now, we rate this claim as “Unproven.”