Amid speculation that the Duchess of Sussex may soon endorse Kamala Harris for president and join her celebrity supporters—including George Clooney, Beyoncé, and Kesha—there has been notable interaction between Harris and Markle in the past.
Although Harris and Markle did not overlap during Harris’s vice presidency, Newsweek reported that Harris has previously commented on Markle.
In October 2019, while Harris was still campaigning for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, she retweeted a video of Markle discussing her struggle with media coverage during her first pregnancy with Archie. Markle mentioned the vulnerability of being pregnant and expressed gratitude for inquiries into her well-being.
Harris responded, “This is incredibly important. We must remember that it’s a sign of strength to show emotion. Meghan, we are with you.”
Later, Harris engaged with a clip of Markle’s virtual address to the 2020 graduating class of her former high school in Los Angeles.
During her speech, Markle addressed the political climate and the Black Lives Matter protests, expressing hesitation about voicing her thoughts for fear of criticism.
She concluded by stating, “I realized the only wrong thing to say is to say nothing,” and named victims of police violence, including Philando Castile and Tamir Rice. Harris praised Markle’s message in a retweet, calling it a “powerful statement.”
The racial unrest of the time led to significant pressure on Biden to select a Black woman as his running mate.
Biden ultimately chose Harris in August 2020 but later denied that the choice was influenced by Democratic pressure.