What the latest Meghan story tells us about the culture wars | Zoe Williams

The Duchess of Sussex for California senator? Now where could they possibly have got that idea?

The Duchess of Sussex is not, following the death of Dianne Feinstein, going to be the new senator for California. No, she was never in the frame, and no, her ultimate aim is not the White House. The ink was barely dry on the story in the MailOnline, and assorted rightwing titles globally, that Meghan was the long shot", before the real candidate, Laphonza Butler, was announced.

Butler, incidentally, is a politician with a hinterland, a former union leader, once adviser to Kamala Harris, and currently president of Emily's List, a scheme to get more Democratic pro-choice women elected. What kind of mad hubris, outrageous self-regard, would lead an ersatz princess and failed podcaster to think she was better suited to the role? Well, none, necessarily. Meghan occupies a peculiar place in the international media imagination, where they can say almost anything about her, stick in a few sources say" and speculations", and their evergreen story is ready to go, a tale of the prideful wokerati, oversharing, overprivileged, hypocritical. She is like an avatar for the ultimate, in-your-grill liberal.

Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.