'This is the Duchess of Sussex': Meghan Markle is now cold calling Republican Senators on their private numbers and using her royal title to lobby for paid paternity leave: Wants to be part of a 'working group' to formulate policy
Meghan Markle has called two Republican senators on their private numbers and used her royal title to urge them to vote in favor of paid parental leave, it emerged on Wednesday - shocking the politicians with her latest foray into political activism.
The move is just the beginning for the Los Angeles-born mother of two, as she is now hoping to be part of 'a working group to work on paid leave long term,' according to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
She called Republican Sens. Susan Collins from Maine and Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, both of whom said they were shocked that Markle called out of the blue and noted that she even used her royal title to lobby for the cause.
Collins said: 'I was happy to talk with her, but I'm more interested in what people from Maine are telling me about paid leave.'
And it comes after she wrote a letter to the top Democrats directly lobbying them on the issue, and then bought gift cards for Starbucks for workers at an activism group in a high-profile stunt designed to raise awareness of the cause.
The Duchess of Sussex on October 20 wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer advocating for paid family leave - a letter that was handed out to several media outlets.
On Wednesday Politico reported that she had - following a conversation with Kirsten Gillibrand, senator for New York - taken her lobbying a step further and picked up the phone.
Meghan Markle. the Duchess of Sussex, is pictured at the Global Citizen Live festival in Central Park with Prince Harry on September 25. In October, she began a lobbying campaign for paid parental leave
Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican senator for West Virginia, told Politico on Wednesday that she was shocked to receive a call from Markle
Gillibrand, one of the most vocal campaigners in the senate for paid parental leave, handed the Duchess the phone numbers for Susan Collins, senator for Maine, and Shelley Moore Capito, senator for West Virginia.
Moore Capito said she expected the call to be Joe Manchin, the other senator for West Virginia. Manchin, a moderate Democrat, has been calling the shots for Joe Biden's infrastructure bill, wringing concessions from progressives and cajoling moderate Republicans like Moore Capito to agree.
She told Politico: 'I'm in my car. I'm driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly, I thought it was Senator Manchin, his calls come in blocked.
'And she goes "Sen. Capito?" I said, "Yes." She said, "This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex."'
Moore Capito added: 'I couldn't figure out how she got my number.'
Collins said she too was called by the 40-year-old.
Susan Collins, Republican senator for Maine, was also called by Markle. She said: 'I told her there were a lot of different approaches, and people were working on it'
She expressed amusement that the Los Angeles-born Markle was using her British title to lobby U.S. senators, after having quit the royal family in 2020.
'Much to my surprise, she called me on my private line and introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic' said Collins.
She told Politico: 'I was happy to talk with her, but I'm more interested in what people from Maine are telling me about paid leave.'
Collins later told The New York Times: 'She just weighed in that she thought paid leave was really important, and I told her there were a lot of different approaches, and people were working on it.'
Biden had initially hoped to push through plans for a 12-week paid family and medical leave program, costing $500 billion over 10 years.
The benefit declined from 12 to four weeks, as the legislation shrank to less than $2 trillion from $3.5 trillion to win agreement from Manchin and fellow moderate Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.
Gillibrand said on Wednesday that she gave senators' numbers to Markle, and said it was just the start.
'I talked to each of the women senators and let them know that she's going to reach out, because she only completed two of the calls,' Gillibrand said.
'She's going to call some others, so I let them know in advance.'
Gillibrand added: 'She wants to be part of a working group to work on paid leave long term and she's going to be.
'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.'
Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat senator for New York, has said she handed out Collins and Moore Capito's phone numbers to Markle to call. Gillibrand is one of the most vocal champions of paid parental leave
Markle's latest intervention heightens speculation that she sees herself in a political position in the future, like her heroines Angelina Jolie and Amal Clooney.
Some have even speculated that she could be considering a run for political office - even the presidency, according to wild online hype.
In her October 20 letter, Markle wrote: 'I'm not an elected official, and I'm not a politician.
'I'm writing to you at this deeply important time - as a mom - to advocate for paid leave.'
The extraordinary 1,030-word letter asked Pelosi and Schumer to consider her plea 'on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry'.
Markle, pictured above with Prince Harry and her first born Archie, made a rare political statement on Wednesday
The duchess depicted humble beginnings, saying that her family struggled when she was young - despite her well-documented middle class upbringing in which she attended private primary and secondary schools on her Emmy award-winning lighting director father's $200,000-a-year salary.
And she now lives in a $14million sprawling mansion in Montecito, California, complete with designer touches. She has also signed a series of lucrative deals with Spotify and Netflix thought to be worth well over $150million.
'I grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler,' Markle wrote.
'I knew how hard my parents worked to afford this because even at five bucks, eating out was something special, and I felt lucky. I started working (at the local frozen yogurt shop) at the age of 13.
'I waited tables, babysat, and piecemealed jobs together to cover odds and ends,' Markle said.
However, she failed to mention the $750,000 California state lottery win her father scooped in 1990, which funded her secondary education at $9,412-a-semester Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles.
Meghan also studied a private primary school - Hollywood's Little Red Schoolhouse nursery, which she attended from the age of two.
The primary school now costs between $20,000 and $28,300-a-year, and was paid for by her father Thomas and her airline steward mother Doria's salaries.
She went on to study at Northwestern, a college in Illinois, that would have cost $24,000-$28,000-a-year for tuition when Meghan studied there from 1999-2003.
But the duchess described working from the age of 13 doing several jobs 'to cover odds and ends' and said saving money was a 'luxury' in her family in her letter.
'I worked all my life and saved when and where I could - but even that was a luxury - because usually it was about making ends meet and having enough to pay my rent and put gas in my car.
'I expect many of your constituents have their own version of that story,' she continued.
Meghan lived in a series of childhood homes in Los Angeles - including a second-floor apartment on Providencia Street, in Woodland Hills, where she lived with her parents and half-siblings Thomas Jr and Samantha.
Meghan lived on the property until she was two years old and it was the biggest and 'flashiest' home she lived in during her youth.
Meghan lived in a series of childhood homes in Los Angeles - including a second-floor apartment on Providencia Street, in Woodland Hills
After her parents divorced in 1983, Meghan and her mother Doria moved into a top-floor apartment (pictured) in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of LA
Meghan lived in different humble abodes growing up, but received a private education from kindergarten until high school. She attended Immaculate Heart High School (pictured) on Franklin Ave in Los Angeles from the age of 11 up to 18
She attended a prestigious private nursery and kindergarten school called Little Red Schoolhouse, pictured, which cost $18,800 a year for kindergarten
Meghan Markle offered fans a rare glimpse inside the Californian mansion she shares with Prince Harry today during a 'special message' shared on her 40th birthday
Meghan said in the letter she recognized she had not struggled in the same way many new parents who are not offered paid leave do.
'In June, my husband and I welcomed our second child,' she said.
'Like any parents, we were overjoyed. Like many parents, we were overwhelmed. Like fewer parents, we weren't confronted with the harsh reality of either spending those first few critical months with our baby or going back to work.'
Meghan and Harry were able to take four months family leave after the birth of their daughter Lilibet in June this year, retreating to their Montecito home for several months before returning to work in September.
The duchess was also able to take time off after having Archie in 2019, staying at home for four months before returning to work.
The couple also reportedly used nannies to look after their children in the UK, and hired and fired several after Archie was born in 2019.
They allegedly sacked their first nanny over reports she was 'unprofessional' and the second one was only employed to work night shifts. Meanwhile reports at the time said their nanny moved back to the UK after following the couple to the U.S. before the pandemic.
Meghan and Harry are pictured with their newborn son Archie at Windsor Castle on May 8, 2019
The duchess went on to detail her humble beginnings. 'I grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler,' she said
Meghan and Harry are seen in September during a visit to New York City. The pair went to the One World Observatory, with a camera crew in tow
Meghan went on to attack the American economic system.
'Many of our economic systems are past their expiration date, and as you well know, too many Americans are forced to shortchange themselves when it comes to what matters to them.'
A spokesman for Meghan said she 'cares deeply about advocating for families in the US and around the world' and had partnered with three campaign organizations on the issue.
She followed up the letter with an October 30 donation to Paid Leave US, an activist group.
Neil Sroka, the director of communications for the group, took to Twitter to write: 'The Duchess of Sussex (aka #MeghanMarkle) bought everyone at @PaidLeaveUS a few cups of coffee while we're working overtime to #SavePaidLeave.
Markle, pictured at her home in California, was hailed 'classy' after buying coffee for employees working overtime to campaign for paid family and medical leave in the US after writing to politicians pleading for it to be made a 'national right'
The Duchess of Sussex gifted workers at PL+US, a group running a national campaign to win paid family and medical leave by 2022, a $25 Starbucks voucher through her non-profit Archewell
'Unbelievably classy... and necessary. Truly honored to know she has our backs in the fight to win'.
The gesture had a mixed reaction online, with some saying small kindnesses can make a 'huge difference', while others called the donation 'pitiful' and suggested the act could be a publicity stunt.
Her wading into the debate about parental leave is just the latest salvo from the Duchess.
After moving to LA in March 2020, the pair were seen volunteering at a food bank the following month.
In June, as protests broke out against the May 25, 2020 murder of George Floyd, Markle and her husband spoke about issues of race and policing - something they had previously steered clear from.
On July 14, Markle told the UN 2020 Girl Up Leadership Summit: 'You are organizing Black Lives Matter protests around the world, you are creating films to encourage your peers to become activist leaders, you are reforming the criminal justice system, you are telling your school boards we need more mental health resources for all ages, you are leading coalitions to end gun violence.
'You are standing up and demanding to be heard, yes, but you're also demanding to own the conversation.'
A slice of happy family life: Sitting next to grandmother Jeanette, 12-year-old Meghan tucks into a cake at her cousin Donovan's birthday party in 1993
Meghan on her 11th birthday with her mother Doria in 1992, seen in pictures kept by her uncle Joseph Johnson
They also continued discussing mental health.
On October 14, 2010, Meghan in a podcast reflected on being 'the most trolled person in the entire world, male or female' of 2019 and the 'almost unsurvivable' impact that had on her psyche.
'You can either try to break through or you can potentially break down,' she said of feeling overwhelmed and in need of support.
'But use it as a moment to break through.'
As the November 2020 election neared, they urged people to vote - Harry shocking some by admitting he had never voted before.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke out about the U.S. election, in a stark break with British tradition that prohibits royal involvement in politics
Harry said ahead of the election: 'As we approach this November, it's vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation and online negativity'
Markle, who before meeting Harry was a UN advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women, was more open about her views.
'Every four years, we're told the same thing: 'This is the most important election of our lifetime.' But this one is,' she told Time magazine ahead of the election.
'When we vote, our values are put into action, and our voices are heard.'
She hosted feminist icon Gloria Steinem at her Montecito home for a conversation filmed for Makers - a media company that describes itself as 'accelerating the women's movement through stories of real-life experiences.'
Markle and Steinem discussed the importance of voting, and urged a more open discussion on issues of race and power.
A month before Christmas, Markle revealed that she had had a miscarriage, prompting an outpouring of grief and praise for her candor.
She gave birth to their second child, Lilibet, in June this year.
In recent months Markle has waded back into politics - visiting New York in September and attending meetings at the U.N. before addressing Global Citizen Live, a festival of activism in Central Park.
Markle (left) joined Gloria Steinem for a 'backyard chat' ahead of the election
She is set to appear on November 9 at an online conference organized by the New York Times to discuss 'women reaching economic and professional parity.'
The mother-of-two will appear in a half-hour session called 'Minding the Gap' alongside Mellody Hobson, Co-C.E.O. and President, Ariel Investments, and the chairwoman of Starbucks Corporation.
The session is promoted as 'two groundbreaking figures' who will share their views.
'How can women reach economic and professional parity? Two groundbreaking figures join us to discuss top-down solutions, and reflect on how their shared experiences influenced their thinking about creating opportunities for others,' the blurb states.
Other speakers at the conference include Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, as well as the CEO for Pfizer Albert Bourla and Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple.
Other stars speaking including Matthew McConaughey and Dax Shephard, with whom Prince Harry gave an explosive interview for his Armchair Expert podcast.
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