Meghan Markle believes she is "destined" to fight racism in the United States and won't rule out a career in politics, a close friend has told British media.
The Duchess of Sussex, a woman of African-American heritage known for her social activism and for frequently commenting on gender and race issues, moved to the United States with Prince Harry earlier this year following her spectacular exit from senior royal duties. It has been reported that intense media attention on the pair motivated them to leave.
A close friend has now told The Daily Mail that Markle believes she is "destined" to fight systemic racism in the United States, a conversation which recently returned to the fore following the death of George Floyd. She recently spoke to a Los Angeles high school about racism in the US off the back of the protests.
The Mail source says Markle's "gnawing urgency to uproot from England" was fate so she could be at the "forefront" of the movement towards ending racism in the American nation.
"Meghan said her work as a leader is more important than ever right now and that she's been speaking with Oprah and other community leaders on how she can be part of the solution."
Markle - who was born in Los Angeles - is also apparently not ruling out jumping into politics.
"Meghan feels like her mission goes far beyond acting. She said she wants to use her voice for change and hasn't ruled out a career in politics."
According to British and American media, despite her marriage to Prince Harry and stint in the United Kingdom, she remains a US citizen. Bookmakers have previously considered she could run for President in 2024.
Last week, she distanced herself from friend Jessica Mulroney after the Canadian stylist became embroiled in an online scandal.
Markle believes what is happening in the US currently is "absolutely devastating".
"George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered... and so did so many other people whose names we know and whose names we do not know," she told Los Angeles high school Immaculate Heart earlier this month.
She hoped issues of racism would have been addressed by now.
"That should be something you have an understanding of as a history lesson, not as your reality.
"So I am sorry that, in a way, we have not gotten the world to a place that you deserve it to be."
