The Duchess of Sussex has phoned US politicians to lobby for paid paternity leave using her royal title.
Duchess of Sussex has been lobbying for change
The 40-year-old duchess - who was known as Meghan Markle before she married Prince Harry in 2018 - is said to have called two senators on their private numbers to try and get them to vote for the cause.
Speaking to Politico, Senator Shelley Moore Capito said: "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, ‘Senator Capito?’
"I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex'. I couldn't figure out how she got my number."
Senator Susan Collins revealed she also had a conversation with Meghan, who has two-year-old Archie and five-month-old Lili with her husband Harry.
She added: "I was happy to talk with her. But I’m more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it.
"Much to my surprise, she called me on my private line, and she introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic."
It's said that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand passed on their numbers to Meghan, who will be ringing "some others" too.
She said: "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.
"She’s going to call some others, so I let them know in advance... 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."
Meghan recently argued for national paid leave in an open letter.
She wrote: "No family should have to choose between earning a living and having the freedom to take care of their child (or a loved one, or themselves, as we would see with a comprehensive paid leave plan).
"In taking care of your child, you take care of your community, and you take care of your country — because when paid leave is a right, we’re creating a foundation that helps address mental health outcomes, health care costs, and economic strength at the starting line."
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