America is going through a difficult time. Since we could all use some words of encouragement, Meghan Markle, duchess of Sussex and wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, decided she’s just the inspiring gal for the job.
In an emotional video message for the graduating class of her alma mater, the all-girls Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, Meghan starts by telling the students, “I wasn’t sure what I could say to you. I wanted to say the right thing and I was really nervous that it would get picked apart. And I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing.”
She seems to be echoing a famous quote often attributed to Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Meghan’s sentiment is lovely, although the backlash against Sen. Tom Cotton’s recent op-ed in the New York Times — which forced two editors at the paper to resign — suggests there are “wrong things” to say right now besides saying nothing. Luckily for Meghan, her views fall entirely on the side of allowable opinion.
She tears up as she shares her memories of the Los Angeles riots in 1992. Then she encourages the students, “You’re going to use your voice in a stronger way than you have ever been able to because most of you are 18 — or you’re turning 18 — so you’re going to vote.”
There can be little doubt about who Meghan believes the students should vote for. Before she married Prince Harry, she called President Donald Trump “divisive” and “misogynistic.” Recently, Prince Harry was caught on a prank call saying Trump has “blood on his hands” because he supports the coal industry.
Meghan’s preferred candidate, Joe Biden, had already been a U.S. senator for 20 years when the Los Angeles riots took place. So it seems a wee bit optimistic of her to expect him to bring the kind of change she would like to see.
We should probably be grateful Meghan is only encouraging the students to vote rather than to go out rioting. Yet, as it happens, Immaculate Heart has a reputation for progressive activism, so there’s a decent chance the students have already taking to the streets.
One alumna told the Catholic Herald, “As I recall, the line between political assembly and liturgy was fairly thin in my early days at IH — and that felt perfectly natural. It was no big deal to receive Communion from the nuns, or to hear a sermon delivered by a woman, or to sing ‘We Are a Gentle Angry People.’”
Meghan is not Catholic and has no religious background. She did, however, get a quickie baptism into the Church of England right before her marriage to Prince Harry.
In her video message, Meghan recalls how one of her teachers at Immaculate Heart told her to “always remember to put others’ needs above your own fears.” She says she thinks about this often, particularly in recent weeks, which seems a little disingenuous coming from someone who is constantly protected by private security.
Given how much is going on in America and the world right now, it is remarkable how well Meghan and Prince Harry have managed to stay in the public eye. Meghan’s video message seems to be her own initiative. Immaculate Heart High School’s website doesn’t indicate she was their invited commencement speaker. But Meghan released the speech publicly via Essence magazine so the rest of America could be inspired as well.
The duo quit their jobs with the British royal family earlier this year — an event gleefully nicknamed “Megxit” by the media. They are currently borrowing a mansion in the Hollywood Hills from Tyler Perry that is worth $18 million. No doubt their private security team will keep any potential looters at bay.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s biggest headache is drones flying overhead trying to photograph them. They’ve been calling the police to complain. But who will they call if the Los Angeles Police Department is defunded?
Currently, the couple intends to settle in Los Angeles and are preparing a host of new ventures. They’re setting up a charitable foundation and plan to get involved with the Black Lives Matter movement. In August, a new book about the couple promises to share their version of Megxit.
Make no mistake: the video message for Immaculate Heart High School was only the opening salvo. Meghan Markle is back in America, and it appears we’re all going to hear from her — whether we want to or not.
