Meghan Markle Has Two Vital Assets That Could Equal a Successful Political Future, Royal Historian Says

There has been buzz this week about Meghan Markle potentially filling the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death last Friday of Dianne Feinstein, who had served California in the Senate for three decades. This, alas, is not to be, as California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Laphonza Butler to the vacant seat; she will serve until the next election in November 2024. (Butler is the third Black woman in history to serve in the Senate, and the first openly LGBTQ person to represent California in the Senate.)

But a career in politics isn’t completely ruled out yet for Meghan, who a royal historian said has “two vital assets” that will help any potential future political career be successful, The Daily Express reports. 

“Americans, particularly Californians, aren’t averse to selecting their politicians from Tinsel Town,” she said. “Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger were both governors of the state, albeit Republican ones, before the former went on to become the president of the USA.”

Like Schwarzenegger, Dunlop said, Meghan has two vital assets that will serve her in the U.S. political system—immense name recognition and considerable wealth. “Love her or loathe her, the duchess would be able to reach parts of the electorate that other politicians could only dream of,” Dunlop said. “And these days, California is predominantly Democratic—the perfect fit for a duchess who has long aligned herself with the center-left. Remember the little girl who talked truth to power over a gender bias TV ad? Polling suggests many Democrats agree Meghan is the right fit for them.”

Beyond that, The Mirror reports, Dunlop believes Prince Harry is the perfect political husband, and that Meghan’s time as a working member of the royal family could set her up well for the demands of life in the political arena. “There is the magic and sparkle that her association with royalty brings to the party,” Dunlop said. “It is worth remembering that before the megabucks of Hollywood, the British royal family were major players in the emergence of the American obsession with fame. Prince Harry gives his wife the X-factor in an arena that has long coveted the trappings of Britain’s monarchy. And the Duke of Sussex, a self-titled ‘Spare,’ is the ideal man to walk behind his political wife.”

The past few days have opened up the political conversation surrounding Meghan and her future, and “This weekend has been a reminder that there is more to Meghan than meets the eye,” she said. “Don’t be surprised if one day soon the Duchess of Sussex becomes Senator Mountbatten-Windsor-Markle! Or perhaps Senator Sussex for short.”

From not being able to express political beliefs as a working member of the royal family to legitimate potential for a run for political office someday—as ever, we look forward to seeing what happens.