Why Harry and Meghan should leave America

Imagine Prince Harry and Meghan Markle perched in their Montecito mansion, glowering at Donald Trump’s brazen, rebooted America. They’re not fleeing yet, but as progressive celebrities ditch Hollywood’s hills – Rosie O’Donnell settling in Ireland, Ellen DeGeneres nesting in Britain – might the Sussexes trail behind? We Yanks would rejoice.

The spotlight sharpened last week when Harry’s US visa records hit the headlines on March 18, courtesy of a laudable Heritage Foundation lawsuit. The group probed whether Harry glossed over the drug escapades he bragged about in his memoir Spare – cocaine, cannabis, psychedelics – to clinch his visa. The Department of Homeland Security produced six documents, but they’re a mess of black ink, redacted under “privacy concerns” to dodge “harassment,” per Judge Carl Nichols’s ruling. The opacity ignited a firestorm. On X, #DeportHarry trended.

Trump might not have to deport Harry, but they could still choose to Megxit, along with the other Hollywood luvvies fleeing Trump’s America. Harry and Meghan embody Hollywood’s preening elite, and their empty ethical stances seem particularly tone-deaf beside a nation now flexing its muscles via hard power. Their Archewell ventures and televised confessions are less about principle than a calculated bid for relevance, thinly veiled as altruism. They thrived in Biden’s America, mixing it up with liberals who nodded at every platitude. But now there’s a “new sheriff in town,” as J.D. Vance put it. A red-blooded America of faith, family, and tradition is ascendant — and it is kryptonite to their ilk. They may champion sustainability and equity, but a nation that reveres its constitution and its roots no doubt leaves them uneasy, as Harry expressed when he labelled America’s First Amendment rights “bonkers.”

That disdain has precedent. Harry and Meghan turned their backs on Britain when it wouldn’t yield to their ambitions for autonomy and prominence – Megxit in its first act. Now, they must feel similar about Trump’s America, a land of enduring values that overshadows their pretensions. Meghan’s 2016 barbs – labeling Trump “misogynistic” and “divisive” – resonate still, while Harry’s reference at the February 27 Upfront Seminar in Los Angeles to “a sickness in leadership across sectors – from politics to tech” that can negatively impact millions, speaks volumes. They prospered in Biden’s progressive climate, but a revitalized America exposes them anew as opportunists adrift.

The visa controversy fuels the fire. Public doubt swirls around the redactions – cries of “What’s he hiding?” and “Preferential treatment!” echo widely. Some call for deportation, while others question their place in a country they seem to scorn. They didn’t merely forsake the beloved late Queen – they’re dismissive of Uncle Sam too.

True to form, Trump captured the public mood on Markle in a November 2024 interview, pronouncing her “terrible” for her disrespect of the late beloved Queen. America and Britain are two distinct nations bound by shared contempt for this rogue British-American couple who give equal offense to both sides of the Atlantic.

For her part, Meghan seems quite burrowed in, trying on every desperate rebrand to remain relevant. With her titles and royal names to elevate her, Hollywood, a place where grifters thrive, seems to suit her. But there is an ever-colder political climate, and Harry’s on thin ice with the lack of transparency surrounding his visa, keeping scrutiny alive.

Where to next? Colombia, site of their 2024 faux-royal tour, where Meghan cooed over “women’s stories?” Nigeria, where she claimed 43 percent ancestry in 2023 and played princess? Doubtful — those lack the cash and glamour they chase. Britain’s fed up – and Trump’s America rejects their lectures. Their departure would draw cheers from both.

Ultimately, Harry and Meghan’s unease in a resurgent America lays bare a truth: their performative virtue needs deference to mask its flaws. Trump’s America offers no such refuge. The visa saga — veiled in secrecy and public backlash — crystalizes their bind: having fled one legacy, they now flounder in another, tethered to a nation they subtly mock yet milk. Their next step — Megxit II to some progressive enclave or a defiant Montecito stand — will reveal more than just their address.