Meghan Markle has been pulling her royal rank while lobbying for parental leave over the phone with U.S. politicians.
The duchess of Sussex, who has become increasingly vocal on U.S. domestic politics in recent months, has been cold-calling senators on their personal phones to talk to them about the need for parental leave in the United States.
“I’m in my car. I’m driving. It says, ‘Caller ID blocked,’” Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told Politico. “Honestly … I thought it was Sen. [Joe] Manchin. His calls come in blocked. And she goes, ‘Sen. Capito?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘This is Meghan, the duchess of Sussex.’”
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Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, also received the royal call unexpectedly.
Collins noted Markle’s use of her royal title in her self-introduction, saying, “Much to my surprise, [Markle] called me on my private line, and she introduced herself as the duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic.”
However, the senator said she was less than swayed by the duchess’s intervention.
“I was happy to talk with her,” Collins added. “But I’m more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it.“
The two female senators’ personal phone numbers were handed to the duchess by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York. Gillibrand said she was supportive of Meghan’s campaign and expects her to become a leading voice in the fight for parental leave in the U.S.
“She wants to be part of a working group to work on paid leave long term, and she’s going to be,” Gillibrand told Politico. “Whether this comes to fruition now or later, she’ll be part of a group of women that hopefully will work on paid leave together.”
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Meghan, born in Los Angeles and married to British royalty, previously wrote an open letter in support of paid parental leave.
In the letter, the duchess described her upbringing as a struggle against poverty despite her private schooling education and rearing in a family headed by an award-winning lighting director and photographer.
