Meghan Markle is continuing to advocate for paid parental leave.
Markle is said to have called U.S. senators Susan Collins and Shelley Moore Capito, both Republicans, and introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex before talking to them about paid leave for all.
It’s thought that New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand gave Markle the numbers, TMZ reported. Her call apparently showed up as a blocked number.
Markle’s rep confirmed to ET Canada that the Duchess is “making outreach to members of congress in her personal capacity as an engaged citizen.”
Moore Capito told Politico, “I’m in my car. I’m driving. It says called ID blocked. Honestly, I thought it was Senator Manchin, his calls come in blocked.
“And she goes, ‘Senator Capito?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.'”
Collins added of her call, “I was happy to talk with her, but I’m more interested in what people from Maine are telling me about paid leave.”
Markle has been targeting senators from both sides and urging them to include funding for paid leave in Congress’s social spending bill.
Her calls come after she wrote an open letter addressing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“I’m not an elected official, and I’m not a politician,” her letter included.
“I am, like many, an engaged citizen and a parent. And because you and your congressional colleagues have a role in shaping family outcomes for generations to come, that’s why I’m writing to you at this deeply important time — as a mom — to advocate for paid leave.”
Markle and her husband Prince Harry share two children: Archie, 2, and Lilibet, five months.
After welcoming little Lilibet earlier this summer, both Markle and Harry took 20 weeks of parental leave, sharing the news on the Archewell Foundation website at the time.
