Omid Scobie had an in-depth piece about one of the Duchess of Sussex’s charity visits this week. Scobie spoke to some of the people at Justice for Girls, and he got some background on how her visit happened. One of Meghan’s aides contacted JFG and said that Meghan found their work “credible and compelling” and she wanted to learn more. Meghan spent an hour with the JFG people, sipping tea and listening to staffers. While the conversation was broad-ranging about environmental justice, global leadership, violence against girls and more, the JFG people said that Meghan had a particular interest in “Canada’s current and ongoing epidemic of violence against Indigenous girls and women, which has seen over 4,000 Indigenous women murdered or go missing across the country in the past 30 years.”
Personally, I think Meghan really and genuinely cares about all of the issues she’s been highlighting this week. I also think she’s giving the finger to royal reporters, the royal family and the British establishment. She’s showing them that they could have had a bad bitch but now it’s done and she’s not coming back. Further evidence? Meghan doesn’t give a f–k about her British citizenship.
She may be the Duchess of Sussex, but Meghan Markle has yet to be accepted for British citizenship — and Megxit may stop her from ever obtaining it, according to a report Thursday. The “Suits” star started the process toward getting a British passport soon after her May 2018 royal wedding to Prince Harry, the sixth in line to the throne, according to The Times of London. She was bestowed her Duchess of Sussex title, and a year later gave birth to a royal baby, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor — but still could not skip the normal process for citizenship, the report said.
Most crucially, her application relies on her spending most of her time in the UK — completely at odds with her widely reported plans to mostly skip Britain and instead settle in Canada and then eventually Los Angeles. “She may quickly run into trouble when calculating her permissible absences from the UK,” said an article in Free Movement, a website set up by immigration lawyer Colin Yeo.
Buckingham Palace has always stressed she would not get preferential treatment in the process, which requires her to have lived in the UK for five years before lodging an official application, the UK Times said. Once she applies, the rules state she must not have been out of the country for more than 270 days in the past three years, or 90 days in the previous year.
“She is going to be at the top end of that,” immigration lawyer Philip Trott told the paper. “There is no harm in being out, as long as you spend most of your time here. The advice we normally give to clients is that most of your time means six months and one day every year,” he said — far more than reports suggest the Duchess wants to spend in Blighty.
One solution would be if Harry landed a diplomatic role overseas — such as governor general of Canada — which would make all their time abroad count the same as being home in Britain. That is unlikely to fit with their stated goals for more independence, however. Either way, the duchess’ spokeswoman insisted to the paper, “There is no change in the fact that she is pursuing the path to British citizenship.”
The duchess’ spokeswoman insisted to the paper, “There is no change in the fact that she is pursuing the path to British citizenship.” Editor’s note: the duchess’s spokeswoman was making a “jerk off” motion when she said this. LOL. I mean, I’m sure Meghan has tons of lawyers working on many different aspects of this, from citizenship to taxes to titles to revenue streams. But if push comes to shove, Meghan is not broken up at the idea that OH NO, she might not become a British citizen.
Photos courtesy of JFG, WENN, Avalon Red.
The BRF really screwed the pooch here . It could have made concerted efforts to protect Meghan. Instead the stance is having high profile minority Brits say on camera there was no racism and visiting minority neighborhoods to wash off the stench. This may fly in the UK, but outside a lot of people are not fooled.
Absolutely right. And protecting MM, they would protect the ONLY person (man or woman) in the BRF who shows empathy, comiseration and a undeniable happiness for doing what she is doing with the charities.
History repeats itself: the only royal that really cared about important matters and DID something to improve the lives of the people, they kicked out because some vanities were a little touched.
I will always praise Diane for what she did in the mine fields. I f*a*r*t loud and clear to anyone who denies: her contribution to finish this cruel war weapon was the most brave we will see anyone doing.
If it was a PR game, if it was or was not safe to cross those fields. I don’t care. She did it. And the world started moving to put an end to that inhuman artefact.
Sorry people, for the language, but I abhor the human cruelty.
I’ve never heard the saying “screwed the pooch” and Googled it. Learn something new every day!
I don’t think the Brits get it: She’s not into you. Go abuse Kate.
Uh I hope you’re joshing. None of them should be abused but all of them can be fairly critiqued. Like Meghan said, she expected life to be difficult but she did not expect unfairness.
I’m sure it was a joke.
The British Press/People has been and will continue to abuse the RF. Meghan wouldn’t play the game. Eventually they will move on to another member of the RF because that is what they do. So I’m not “joshing” you only stating a fact.
@Myra I will never disagree that Meghan was abused. So was Harry and Archie. But I don’t think the solution is to abuse another royal for generations and keep this cycle going.
Alexandra: Diana was abused and so was Kate. They will abuse George, Charlotte and Louis. Until the RF takes a stand they will be abused by the media and the lovely British Taxpayers who want their pound of flesh.
@Myra: you sound like a lovely person. #irony
LOL I doubt most people care one way or the other- it’s only us on gossip sites like these that parse all the details.
Unpopular opinion – I think @Myra has a valid point, even if it maybe didn’t come across very kindly. Like it or not, Brits and non Brits alike all run down the Royals and usually have a subject in particular to aim their hatred at. The Royals divide people because of what they stand for and how they’re funded. There has always been a ‘most hated’ royal.
It doesn’t mean it’s right but then it’s probably not right that we still have titled and entitled people either.
If they don’t want the abuse, don’t be royal (like Megan did.) make your lands parkland or something
@Nahema I agree. It’s disgusting but it’s how these tabloids have worked forever.
Harry and Meghan were willing to take them on, legally, and if the family stuck with them, they might have been able to enact some actual changes to the system. Ones that could benefit not just William and Kate but George, Charlotte and Louis, too. But they didn’t so here we are.
Myra is right — they always need a target. It’s awful. Unfortunately I think that target will still be Meghan (and Harry) for a long time. I hope I’m wrong.
I can’t remember a male royal the press has gone at so viciously. It’s always the women, and most always, the “married in to the Firm” women. When are they ever going to put Andrew in the press spotlight as they should? His behaviors are downright criminal. Here’s my guess: NEVER.
Yes an institution which is set up to class people, where some curtsy or bow to and fall steps behind each other is by its very core an institution which belittles some and upgrades others for no other reason than birth or marriage. Kind of surprised anyone thought they could modernize it or that an American Woman of color would be treated well. The outright vitriol racism is the only thing that surprised me.
@LA Lowcountry Lady They came for Charles to some extent and certainly for the Duke of Windsor. Further back it is extremely hard to compare because life was different, the Royal circles were different and the media was different. We are dealing with something quite new here because it’s evolving.
Meghan is literally the most hounded and talked about woman in the world right now. The media will come up with any and every conceivable angle to keep cashing in on her and Harry. And it really is asinine to write articles like this because the Sussexes have clearly thought this through and are aware of the impacts and what they need to do.
“Meghan is literally the most hounded and talked about woman in the world right now.” – when it comes to this aspect of the situation, the shade of Diana is strong. She was also, at one point, one of the most hounded and talked about women in the world. This must honestly have been such a nightmare for Harry, seeing a similar situation to the one that played a part in his mother’s death, play out once again, only this time with his wife in the lead part. This is why I think that Harry has been the driving force in Sussexit.
^^ This ^^
I’d place every penny I’ve got on that bed, ArtH. This is 100% Harry, I think. It’s probably been an existential nightmare for him since that first tour they went on together when the serious criticism and obsession in the media began.
I have no doubt that Meghan has her own feelings and is fully in support of their exit, but it was instigated and driven by Harry. All of it.
And all of this could have been prevented by ONE display of solidarity. If Kate had gone out in one of Meghan’s line of work outfits just one time; if William had congratulated Meghan on her enthusiasm for the family business in one of his speeches; if the Queen or Charles had published ONE sentence conveying disappointment in the media’s treatment of Meghan–or of Archie, or of the bald racism; if any member of the senior royal family had lifted a public eyebrow in displeasure over Meghan’s treatment in the headlines–ONE TIME–Harry and Meghan would be happily living in Frogmore, working for the UK as full-time royals.
This is absolutely and 100% on the BRF. The media was–as despicable as it is–doing their job and following the lead of the senior royals. It was made clear from the get-go that William was vehemently against the marriage. The split between the brothers, which was apparently catastrophic, indicates more than a friendly show of family concern over “moving too fast,” or anything of the like. Families speak caution to engaged people all the time, and it doesn’t cause seismic rifts in the relationships. William made it obvious not only to Harry but to everyone in the world that he didn’t approve, and the press declared open season. Nobody in the family bothered to push back.
And now Meghan and Harry are gone. The bridge was burned and then then they nuked the ashes. The family will regret this. It’s the biggest mistake the royal family has made during my lifetime, and I think it will have far-reaching consequences for the state of the monarchy after the Queen is gone.
Yesss… Like I said, the BRF is really effective about throwing out the good people they accidentaly attract to their fold.
I literally remember thinking (facetiously) that Princess Diana should take a picture of the inside of her vagina and give it to the press, because they were so unbelievably intrusive it seemed nothing less would satisfy them! They really hounded her relentlessly in her last year, and that was before the internet.
And she’ll only be hounded more moving forward.
I love/hate the tone to this – it implies that her citizenship may be in danger and that she doesn’t understand that!!! I’m sure she completely understands that. If she wants to be a British citizen, she is going to follow the rules to become a British citizen. People keep underestimating her and act like she doesn’t know what she’s doing. She does.
The Media knows very well that she understands that, but if they acknowledged that, they would be saying that she has the power and is making the choice to ditch Britain. They’re more interested in the narrative where she will unwittingly lose out, and will suffer undesirable consequences for daring to leave — providing schadenfreude for readers who don’t like her.
I doubt she cares about her British citizenship….
I am not sure if she wants it anymore. She will only continue to pursue it if for some reason it makes sense. However, l think she will raise the kids to be more American than British. I think she will be pregnant this year and who knows where she will give birth.
Ditto, Mignionette. If she does care, then it’s probably more that she’s now disinclined to finish the process. The country made it very clear they didn’t want her, and if she’s anything at all like me in this regard: I don’t stay anywhere I’m not wanted.
I have no idea how these things work so question: does she even need it anymore? Or will a work visa suffice?
I have the same question. What if she doesn’t? I’m a EU citizen in UK and even with Brexit I’m not so worried. I don’t know about USA citizens and how it would affect her. So if anyone does…
If I were you I wouldn’t be so flippant. Both my French cousin and his Greek wife got UK citizenship because of Brexit as they both live in London. They didn’t assume they would be able to stay in England just because they had UK citizenship and they intend to make London their permanent home (my cousin does not speak Greek and his wife does not speak French so it’s not like they could just up and move to Greece or France). At least now they are official citizens and can’t be kicked out whenever Brexit goes fully into effect.
I’m not familiar with how UK visas will work, but our family was attached to a US embassy in Europe for two years, and I would second Amelie here.
Don’t ignore it. Visa laws in Europe get enforced to a degree that we don’t enforce them in the US. As someone who lived in Europe on a diplomatic visa, I can tell you that if the laws change after Brexit is in effect, you might find yourself in a hard spot. If you live in the UK and intend to stay there permanently…I’d make sure you get your bases covered.
Honestly @lemonylips, if you fit the criteria to apply then I’d apply. Don’t leave it. Meghan and Harry are still Royals and can still pull strings but it not a luxury that most people have.
I think she will keep pursuing the citizenship but it’s not that big of a deal for her and she is not desperate for it. The British royal family look so bad to the rest of the world right now. I notice they have gone dark, almost like they move as a pack. Eugenie hasn’t posted to IG in a while, no news on Bea’s wedding date, generally all is quiet on the western front.
Lol no they don’t.
I wonder if that’s because the more visible ones (apart from The few workhorses like
The Princess Royal) are on vacation, shortly going on vacation, or taking advantage of QEII’s Sandringham time not to work. If the boss isn’t in the office, do the slacker employees get to leave too?
She’s married into the Royal Family so regardless of the courtiers deep commitment to ineptitude, it will get done.
I don’t know why but “deep commitment to ineptitude” made me really chuckle. Perfect descritpion!
It sums up so much about them, lol.
Hahah it’s in their LinkedIn description.
Love it!
The guy with the job of promoting England overseas, is saying it’s a tough sell now to the rest of the world.
Are Cain and Kate not enough to handle a reception at Buck Palace for investing in Africa, that they had to rope in Edward and Sophie to help out.
I see what you did there. Cain and Abel it is
Cain and Unable
‘Cain and Unable’ is almost enough to make one feel sorry for them. But then one remembers that at a minimum they were silent in the face of the vicious attacks, and nope – they are reaping what they sowed.
Who said that? I’d like to read the full article.
There are often multiple royals at important receptions.
Someone on Twitter called them Cain and Unable. Brilliant!
She’s an American citizen, living in Canada without Visa, while applying for dual-British citizenship?
I mean it would be odd for a member of the British Royal Family to not be a citizen. Just as it would for any government official not to be a citizen to the county they represent. But watching people around me game the system with their immigration lawyers, Ive learned money and loopholes can make the citizenship issues the rest of us face go away.
Yes, unfortunately, the reality it that it’s all about the money, it helps open doors and pay for competent/knowledgeable people who can help navigate this otherwise complex thing.
I mean, here in the UK if one has enough money, last I time I recall it was a minimum of £100k to invest in business here they can get a certain type of visa.
@heygingersnaps the US has something similar, i think it’s 1 million (or half that in certain areas) to invest in a business and get a green card.
Yeah, Meghan is just being made to wait and possibly be in Britain the right amount of time for the optics. Everything else is smoothed over. They said on their website that they would still do foreign tours on behalf of the government. Those tours would count as them being in Britain just like if Harry was made Governor General. So, between their time in the U.K. and any foreign tours, she will be fine. Honestly, she’s starting to get followed around by paps. If she needs a break from that, Frogmore is the safest bet for that. They can’t get to her like 99% of the time. The 1% is very predictable and scheduled well in advance. Diana had to make the same choice. Be constantly followed or live on a Royal estate because she wasn’t given a protection officer after the divorce.
I’ve wondered about the tours part, I know they stated the intention to work for the Crown when asked, what if they don’t ask? My understanding is that a nation requests a tour (or are solicited?) then the Crown decides who goes.
I can see them being petty enough to say ok, you want to be part time, we’ll get back to you.
If they undertake foreign tours how will they avoid having the British press pack?
Diana gave up her security after the divorce. She felt they would leak stories about her.
That’s the odd part of their plan and negotiating security costs. None of them are Canadian citizens and she’s not a UK citizen either, and likely will not be anytime soon.
It will be odd for the mother of the (currently) 7th in line heir to the British throne to not have British citizenship. On the other hand, given the British royal family and press hatred of Meghan, maybe they will see this as a badge of honor.
she’s been papped driving herself around in vancouver. i think she’s loving being free again, and will not be broken up by not becoming a UK citizen.
Her British citizenship application is bolstered by the fact that she is the mother of a British citizen.
Rules here are that any children born here in the UK who is acknowledge (meaning they are listed in the child’s birth certificate) by their biological UK citizen father automatically becomes a UK citizen.
If you’re correct, then this whole thing is a non-story, right? It’d be nice if there weren’t a lot of hoops for them to jump through, considering how badly they’ve been treated there!
She won’t automatically become a UK citizen but it will help her application that she is a guardian of an underage UK citizen.
I would know because I am one, I don’t hold a British citizenship (yet) but my young son is due to his father/my partner being a Brit.
“Gee, Harry, I’d love to go spend Christmas at Sandringham with your horrible family, but unfortunately, my citizenship papers aren’t complete so we’ll just have to stay here! Gosh darn it.”
“Sorry, Dad. We’d love to come to your coronation, but Meghan isn’t a citizen, so it’s probably best we stay here in Canada at the moment. Wouldn’t want problems with immigration, you know.”
I think they should play this to their advantage whenever they want to get out of something with the family.
this. 100%
@Jen… Lol!!
I don’t think Harry is going to snub his own family. He is close with his dad.
@Jen If it means one less thing for Bill to possibly hold over her head when he reaches the throne – then good for her.
Does anyone with a better knowledge of the British legal system know if there would be any areas where King Bill could discriminate/treat her differently as UK citizenship vs. non-citizen (whether acting at request of government or directly).
I’m thinking along the lines of when TQ released the H&M’s formal wedding approval/announcement and unlike Kate, Meghan wasn’t ‘our trusty and well-beloved’ because she wasn’t a British or Commonwealth citizen.
These articles are a crock of nonsense. First, I doubt she cares. Y’all really think a woman attacked by a bunch of racists cares about being a citizen and living amongst the racists? If she doesn’t receive it, ok. More reason to sit her butt in beautiful Canada. Second, these articles act like Harry and Megan did not have attorneys who presented them with all this information? They aren’t stupid.
Is she bovvered? Does her face look bovvered? I don’t think so…
Lol.
I wonder whether she applied for a Permanent Residence card due to her many years working in Toronto. She would have been on a work visa, yes? Could she have applied under then-current (or even now-current) rules?
Are there Canadians here knowledgeable about immigration requirements? Could she have put in her bid for her PR card? Then it’s about residency long enough to file an application for Canadian citizenship.
It’s all about the days and you have to establish a meaningful presence (which is why the Courtiers may have worded things a certain way – see the other story). You need to establish close ties to the country in which you want to gain citizenship, such as housing, work, community involvement, etc. You have to show you were physically there for the required number of days within the set number of years.
Or, just pay a lot of money into a business for an investor-class application. ; )
Meghan does not need to be a citizen of anywhere because She already has American citizenship.
She only needs residency and we don’t know if she already has that. I am a Canadian PRC holder and my husband and I don’t live in Canada. We can maintain that because I am living with a Canadian who works out of Canada. It’s not widely publicized as most think it only applies if the Canadian spouse is in the armed forces or works for the government but it’s not true. The only thing I can’t do in Canada is run for office and vote. Who knows if it is similar to maintain the marriage visa requirements in the U.K.
I know she’s already a US citizen. There are advantages to holding other citizenships and you named perhaps the most important one — the vote.
I don’t know why people minimize or overlook the importance of having the right to vote. It should never be “I have everything, I have health care, I just don’t have the vote.” Voters determine whether we get to keep, improve, worsen, abandon or privatize our public health-care system.
Non-citizens also don’t have a passport. Passports have great value.
I was a Permanent Resident of Canada for more than 5 years before obtaining Canadian citizenship (dual with my born US citizenship). I was so happy to be able to vote in our elections and to have a voice, to help determine the course of my new country. I also still vote in the US in every election, no matter how small. The vote is precious.
My question was as to whether she might have used her time working in Canada to apply for her PR card. It’s none of our business, of course. She’s clearly moving around within legal limits.
Rules to apply for PR in Canada are similar to those required in the UK (and pretty much everywhere else I’m sure): you have to stay in the country for a majority of the year while you apply… since MM’s been out of the country for a while now, even if she had applied to PR in the past (which I doubt, she likely was on a work visa like most actors), her application might be void by now. Plus PR is a long process! One of my colleague just got his card after working here for 7 years as a university prof: he was granted tenure before he got his PR! I’m sure being super rich and connected makes the process easier but it’s not like Harry or Meghan will become PR or Canadian citizens within a year or so.
Thanks, this makes sense. We were able to move to Canada with PR status already in place, which was great, but the rules changed in the government that came into place shortly thereafter. It feels as if we threaded the needle.
Someone who works in immigration said the other day that she hadn’t. Not sure if they knew this firsthand or if was speculation. I didn’t check to see if they responded when I asked.
So…genuine question…is she going to apply for Canadian citizenship now? How long can she stay there?
Well she lived and worked there for 7 years while shooting Suits so in all likelihood she already has some kind of work visa or permanent resident visa.
Permanent Residence is not a visa, it’s more comparable to green-card status in the United States. Visas are by definition temporary.
Her work visa would have expired the day she left Suits to go to the U.K. and marry Harry. No way would she still qualify for Canadian PR status either. It doesn’t work that way. At the moment, she is in Canada as a visitor (which you can do for up to 6 months as long as you aren’t making any income here). All she has to do is leave Canada for even one day and re-enter, and she can stay another 6 months.
It will be interesting to see how the no income part jives with financial independence.
ETA: Not at all meant as snark, but I am assuming residency for tax purposes needs to be worked out and as someone who plans to retire outside the US, I’m always interested.
Ah, SheepGonnaBaa, come back, this is a subject near and dear to my heart!
If you are a US citizen living anywhere outside the US, retired status or not, you will need to file tax returns to the US. This doesn’t mean you will pay double tax: It the country to which you retire has a tax treaty with the US, you will be able to employ Foreign Tax Credits and other means to work things out.
So you will need to investigate this carefully vis a vis the countries in which you are interested. Each has its own rules.
Not sure a lot of people retire to Canada – it’s not the warm, sunny life many seek – but the tax treaty means that the majority of income tax gets paid to Canada. There are a lot of other restrictions of which to be aware: for example, you can’t maintain your US brokerage account once you no longer reside in the USA (and don’t try to get around it with a PO box or your cousin’s address – won’t work). If you already have IRAs, some financial institutions will let you keep them there, but you can no longer fund them. You would have to check with your particular institution – they interpret “know your customer” guidelines differently. You would need to use whatever retirement savings plans are available to you in your new home country. The IRS also has onerous filing requirements if you invest in mutual funds or anything else resembling what it calls a “pooled foreign investment corp.” (PFIC) outside the USA. Some people find it worthwhile depending on their age/stage, for some it’s not worth it (big penalties for no/late/erroneous filing). And so on.
The US and Eritrea are the only countries that demand tax returns based on citizenship and not on residency. It started during the South’s attempt at succession for the Civil War, and never got fixed.
If you’re looking ahead, you can call/write your Congressperson to support the effort to change this.
Even without filing tax returns tho, you will still be expected to file Foreign Bank Account statements every year. The US will want to know about your off-shore holdings, and your new country will want to know about your US accounts.
Check into ALL of it. There are tax accountants specializing in US citizens living outside the US, and you want reliable informed advice.
WhoARE- Thank you! I came back this morning to see if anyone weighed in,
I will seek skilled representation!
Im sure she’s real torn up about that.
@ME, she most likely already has Canadian PR. She has been in Canada for 7 years. You only need around ~571 days in Canada to be eligible for citizenship and 12 months for PR. Source: I was an immigration lawyer in Canada.
@mercury
But we don’t know if she applied for PR or not. It’s not like it’s an automatic thing. She would only have applied had she wanted to live in Canada permanently, which at the time I don’t think she did…but who knows.
Yes you have to apply for it and meet certain requirements.
@ME
Meghan actually said, before she met Harry, that if Trump actually became President (this was back when he was sweeping the early primaries) that she would just stay in Canada. So she did talk about staying there in some respect.
I really don’t think she gives a flip about her UK citizenship.
I’m sure she’s awake, in the middle of the night, worrying about this. Lol!
I don’t think she is concerned with being a citizen of the UK. It’s entirely possible they will fly to the Commonwealth countries from Seattle, Washington and bypass the UK. Is there a reason to be in the UK? I don’t think so. As to business and charitable foundations, these can be set up in the US. They have over 100 items trademarked under their brand.
I doubt they will completely avoid the U.K., perhaps in the short term understandably, but they state intention to work part time for the Crown, and there is still family. They will be reliant on Duchy funds for the foreseeable future, the security thing and even their brand is tied to TRF, I don’t see them being able to avoid it completely.
I’m sure Meghan would be clutching her royal pearls right now, except William told his granny she’s not allowed to loan them to Meghan anymore.
As if the Queen listens to William? LOL don’t give him so much credit.
I wonder if that was true?
“Stay put we like abusing you” 🖕🏾
She was very smart to not give up her us citizenship.
There was no reason to give it up, and someone doesn’t give up 1 citizenship during the application process for another – you’d be stateless.
Plus most countries, UK and Canada included, don’t ask you to let go of your birth citizenship when you request a new one, dual or triple citizenships are frequent. I think it’s actually quite difficult to rescind a US citizenship anyway (because taxes and the necessity to travel to the US with a US passport if you were born in the US). Besides, Meghan isn’t a citizen of any other country than the US, she couldn’t let go even if she wanted to
There is no guarantee this marriage will last. I’m sure her team will not let her give up her US citizenship. If anything I can see her trying to become a Canadian citizen over Brit.
There are no reasons to give up her citizenship because neither the UK or Canada requires that from their new citizens. The US is one of the rare countries that asks to give up your birth citizenship
The US doesn’t make you give up citizenship.
The US can revoke citizenship of *naturalized* citizens, but doesn’t ask and has never asked anyone to give up their citizenship if you are born a US citizen, like Meghan was. If you are born a US citizen, then you have that citizenship for life. It can’t ever be taken away.
PS: Archie is also a US citizen because his mother is one. If one parent is a US citizen, the child is automatically granted citizenship upon birth as well. I’m pretty sure Meghan is having all the documents to secure all that (social security number for him and such).
MMIW really needs all the advocates. That’s all I got and I’m grateful for more focus on this.
The citizenship question has huge tax and legal implications. As an American, she has to pay US taxes no matter where she lives. Contrary to the dismissive tone of the post, I am sure Meghan and her advisers are considering all of the legal and monetary consequences very carefully. Also, US citizens may not accept foreign titles. If she dumps the U.K. citizenship process, there may be problems with remaining, as a legal matter, a duchess , let alone HRH.
That’s right, I’d actually forgotten that there is a provision in the US Constitution about foreign titles. That clause does not say a regular citizen can’t hold a title, only that, and I quote: “no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince or foreign State.” – US Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 8
That part about a “office of profit or trust” is the issue here I think. If the foundation she and Harry are setting up is set up on US soil, or primarily based in the US, then she would likely have to give up her title . . . unless the US Congress gives their consent that she can keep it I guess. (Congress is a *little* busy wrt other things *cough*impeachment*cough* at the moment however).
People can disagree all they want but the hostility towards Megan I think mainly stems from her being an American, not because she’s mixed race.
Haha, I just read an article last week from some crusty old palace insider that it would be terrible for Meghan and Harry to split their time because flying back and forth would be “hypocritical” due to their “stance” on the environment. You know he must have given that quote with the smuggest look. It never seems to have occurred to them that Megz might opt NOT to keep the title and stay in the UK, because they spectacularly misjudged her. She’s basically having a friend drop off your belongings in a cardboard box and changing the locks! Good for her. I feel like the positive attention she has brought to Canada in tourism alone will be worth it, and I assume she and Harry will pay taxes on their considerable wealth, so I’m fine if we allocate some taxpayer funds to keep them safe. Living outside of one of the major cities will help a lot, too (so, not Vancouver or Toronto). That said, the assertion that Harry could just “land a job like Governor General” is cringeworthy – we just got a new GG appointed two years ago (Julie Payette, former astronaut). The position is no longer decided by the queen, so pushing it seems like a bad look. I predict that they’ll be lots of handwringing with every cute photo of Archie that it’s a shame he’s missing out on a traditional British childhood, especially once he starts to speak without a British accent.
Yeah, Canadian here, Harry will never be made GG of Canada. Where does the press come up with this shit.