Meghan denies she wanted to be US Senator amid claim she met with top Democrat to lobby for her appointment

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By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 20:30 EDT, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 20:32 EDT, 20 August 2026

The Duchess of Sussex has denied that she wanted to be a US Senator amid claims she met with California's governor in the hopes of being appointed to Kamala Harris's Senate seat.

The claims about Meghan's alleged political ambitions, which she was said to have been pursuing shortly before the 2020 election, emerged in a story by The New York Post. It follows reports that the duchess and her husband Prince Harry are set to return to the UK after six years in the US.

Newsom's office previously confirmed in a memorandum that the Democrat sat down with Harry and Meghan in an 'introductory meeting' on October 19, 2020. Exactly what was said at the meeting is not known.

Sources claimed that prior to Biden's victory over Donald Trump, Markle wanted a meeting to be portrayed as a 'welcome-to-California' sit-down for the royals. 

However, they claim she was also seeking the US Senate seat that Harris was set to leave to become Biden's vice president. 

The seat was eventually given to California's Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who then won election to a full, six-year term in 2022.   

A source with Markle told the Post that the Duchess did not want to take Harris' seat.

The Daily Mail has reached out to a spokesman for the Duchess of Sussex and to Governor Newsom for comment. 

The Duchess of Sussex has denied that she wanted to be a US Senator amid claims she met with California's governor in the hopes of being appointed to Kamala Harris' Senate seat 

Newsom's office confirmed in a memorandum that the Democrat governor sat down with Harry and Meghan in an 'introductory meeting' on October 19, 2020. Exactly what was said at the meeting is not known

The Post report also alleges that the couple asked to meet Joe Biden in the Oval Office in 2021 but were shut down by White House staff. 

Biden sources claim that it was rejected on the grounds that it would have caused issues with the UK's prime minister and the rest of the royal family. 

Both President and First Lady Jill Biden 'didn't want to get into a family squabble' given their affection for Queen Elizabeth II. 

They also allegedly asked if they could fly back to the United States alongside the Bidens on Air Force One following the queen's funeral and the source claimed they were promptly rebuffed. 

The royal couple hired consultants who had worked for both President Barack Obama and Biden, including ex-Press Secretary and current MS Now host Jen Psaki, the outlet said. 

Prince Harry's current chief of staff, Miranda Barbot, herself a former Obama staffer, was used as a conduit between the royals and the White House, the report stated. 

A Biden source told the Post that the pair had worn out their welcome with the Bidens, and that this was evidenced by neither of them continuing to attend Harry's Invictus Games after 2021.

News that Harry and Meghan plan to return to Britain for an extended period and enroll Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, in an English school suggests the couple have accepted that their American adventure has not delivered the glittering commercial empire once envisaged.

It has also been claimed that the couple asked to meet Joe Biden in the Oval Office in 2021 but were shut down by White House staff

A Biden source told the Post that the pair had worn out their welcome with the Bidens, and that this was evidenced by neither of them continuing to attend Harry's Invictus Games after 2021 

A lucrative Spotify deal is long gone and their original Netflix contract has ended. The duchess's series With Love, Meghan lasted two seasons. 

Sources close to Harry briefed at the weekend that his family reunion with King Charles last month left the duke feeling 'buoyed,' 'very happy' and 'really energized.'

Crucially, they added: 'He wants to spend more time in the UK with his family.'

He will now get his wish. The family are expected to establish themselves in a private, non-royal residence and could remain in Britain while Archie and Lilibet complete their education.

But there will be no return to life as working royals.

The King, who is understood to have been informed of Harry's plans only on Sunday, is said to welcome the opportunity to spend more time privately with his younger son and grandchildren.

But Buckingham Palace's position on Harry and Meghan's official status is understood to be unchanged.

There will be 'no alteration' to their roles as private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family, in keeping with the arrangements established after their sensational departure in 2020.