Each year, Time holds a gala celebrating its picks for the 100 most influential people of the year.
As you can imagine, it's a bit tough to hold a gala in 2020. Tuesday night, Time celebrated its list with a prime-time special honoring the picks. Making their first prime-time TV appearance since leaving the royal family were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex weren't chosen for this year's list. Still, they appeared in the special with a very important message for viewers. Harry and Meghan have made some virtual appearances stressing the importance of getting involved in your community. Now they're bringing their message into living rooms across the country.
In their appearance, Harry and Meghan urged Americans to get out and vote this November. It's a move that is sure to ruffle feathers. Harry and Meghan have been criticized already for speaking out on political matters. The couple are no longer senior royals, however, and are free to urge people to do the right thing where it counts.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are two fine examples of being involved in your community and country at large. Harry served in the military in addition to his work in the royal family, and he followed many philanthropic pursuits. Meghan began utilizing her voice to make change happen well before marrying into the royal family, from her letters to dish soap advertisers to her UN speech.
Harry and Meghan are clearly determined to continue bringing change in meaningful ways. They've continued their work remotely with their UK patronages. They also continue plans for their Archewell foundation and how they will expand that work once it is safe to do so.
On Tuesday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appeared on an ABC prime-time special celebrating this year's Time 100, a selection of the 100 most influential people in the past year. The pair, who made the list themselves in 2018, delivered a special message to viewers across the US.
"Thank you Time for including us in this very special evening," Harry began.
"Congratulations to this year's transformative leaders and changemakers. You work tirelessly to create a better world, a better global community for all of us, and we thank you and celebrate you tonight."
"You're playing a critical role in our future and that of our children. Seeing our world through the lens of community is so important because we need to redraw the lines of how we engage with each other both online and off," Meghan noted.
"What we're exposed to online seeps into how we engage with each other offline. It can train us to be kind, or it can train us to be cruel."
"But when the bad outweighs the good, for many, whether we realize it or not, it erodes our ability to have compassion and our ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes," Harry noted.
"Because when one person buys into negativity online, the effects are felt exponentially. It's time to not only reflect but act."
"We're six weeks out from the election, and today is Voter Registration Day," Meghan said.
"Every four years, we're told the same thing, that 'This is the most important election of our lifetime.'"
"But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action, and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter, because you do and you deserve to be heard."
Meghan's discussions of voting have ruffled some feathers back across the pond. People think that as members of the royal family, the two should not be speaking on political matters. That said, this election is more than just politics to a lot of people.
At the end of the day, Meghan and Harry were asked to give up all things making them "official royals," so holding them to royal standards while saying they cannot be royals is a lose-lose that critics of the couple like to use to advance their criticisms.
Harry opened up about his own lack of experience voting, instead focusing on the mechanisms driving negativity around the election.
"This election, I'm not going to be able to vote here in the US. Many of you may not know that I haven't been able to vote in the UK my entire life," Harry said.
"As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity. What we consume, what we are exposed to, and what we engage with online has a real effect on all of us," he said.
"So as we work to reimagine the world around us, let's challenge ourself to build communities of compassion," Meghan said.
"Tonight reminds us of how important it is to watch out for each other, to care for each other, and inspire each other. We are incredibly proud to join you in this historic moment in time," Harry concluded.
There's no question that Harry's and Meghan's futures in public speaking will include a lot more of the inspirational words we've come to treasure from the couple. Many are hoping it will also shine through in their recently announced production deal with Netflix.
"Our lives, both independent of each other, and as a couple have allowed us to understand the power of the human spirit: of courage, resilience, and the need for connection. Through our work with diverse communities and their environments, to shining a light on people and causes around the world, our focus will be on creating content that informs but also gives hope," the couple said in a statement announcing the deal.
"As new parents, making inspirational family programming is also important to us, as is powerful storytelling through a truthful and relatable lens."
