Prince Harry and Meghan Markle encourage US voters to 'reject hate speech'

Since stepping away from the royal family, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have opened up about a number of causes close to their hearts, from Harry's heartfelt video calls to charities to Meghan's powerful speech showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Now, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are encouraging US voters to let themselves 'be heard' and 'reject hate speech' as the Presidential election looms.

This week, they made an appearance during a broadcast revealing the 2020 TIME 100, a list of the world's 100 most influential people, to congratulate those who landed a spot.

They also used the time to urge voters to consider the importance of their involvement this year.

Meghan said: 'We're just six weeks out from Election Day, and today is National Voter Registration Day.

'Every four years, we are 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.'

Harry added: 'When the bad outweighs the good, for many, whether we realise it or not, it erodes our ability to have compassion and our ability to put ourself in someone else’s shoes.

'Because when one person buys into negativity online, the effects are felt exponentially. It’s time to not only reflect, but act. As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity.'

The Duchess continued: 'So as we work to re-imagine the world around us, let's challenge ourselves to build communities of compassion. 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.

'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.'