On Thursday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released their family’s 2021 holiday card, where they made a push for families being relocated from Afghanistan and advocated for paid parental leave.
“This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ’Mama’ and ‘Papa,’ and Lili made us a family,” the card reads. “As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families – from those bing relocated from Afghanistan to American families in need of paid parental leave.”
Some of the organizations Harry and Meghan donated to are Team Rubicon, Welcome.US, Marshall Plan for Moms, and Paid Leave for All.
Last month, I covered how Markle personally called two female Republican senators to push for paid parental leave.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, from West Virginia, told Politico that the unexpected phone call came through while she was driving.
“I’m in my car. I’m driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly … I thought it was Sen. Manchin. His calls come in blocked. And she goes 'Sen. Capito?' I said, 'Yes.' She said, 'This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,” Capito told Politico. “I couldn’t figure out how she got my number.”
Sen. Susan Collins, from Maine, also shared her experience with Politico.
“I was happy to talk with her. But I’m more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it,” Collins said to Politico reporter Marianna Levine. “[M]uch to my surprise, she called me on my private line and she introduced herself as the duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic.”
Turns out, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY) gave Collins’ and Captio’s phone numbers to Markle.
"She [Markle] 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,” Gillibrand told Politico.
Shortly after, Markle penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shumer (D-NY) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) advocating for paid family leave. The letter was published by Paid Leave for All.
“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),” she wrote. “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.”
While members of the royal family tend to remain apolitical, Markle has been vocal over the years on paid family leave. And this year, the couple received an environmental award from the organization Population Matters for vowing to have no more than two children to help sustain the environment. Reports as recent as last month claimed that Markle is considering running for Senate in California, or possibly, for president, in the future.