Meghan Markle Slammed For Allegedly Calling US Senators' Private Lines & Using Royal Title To Push Political Agenda
Getting down to royal business. Meghan Markle is currently facing backlash after reports surfaced that she directly contacted a handful of US Senators in order to push a political agenda.
Prince Harry's wife has since been getting bashed by users on social media after Politico reporter Marianne LeVine revealed that Markle was calling Republican Senators without warning on their personal lines to speak to them about paid family leave.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito told LeVine that she received an unexpected call from a blocked number, which she thought was coming from Democratic Senator Joe Manchin.
“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,” she said.
“And [Meghan] goes, ‘Sen. Capito?’ I said, ‘Yes,” the West Virginia Senator recalled. “She said, ‘This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.’”
“I couldn’t figure out how she got my number,” Capito added.
Senator Susan Collins of Maine also described a similar interaction she had with the exiled royal. “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,” Collins said. “I was happy to talk with her. But I’m more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it.”
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York reportedly gave Markle the numbers of the GOP senators, explaining that the Suits alum is lobbying for paid family leave.
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Users on social media weren’t so happy with the Duchess' decision to take matters into her own hands — and many criticized her for using her royal title, considering she and her husband previously walked away from the palace.
One angry user online wrote, “GOOD GRIEF! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?” per Page Six.
News host Colin Brazier also called out the former actress for name-dropping, writing: “If you have to cold-call someone, impress them with the force of your argument. Not by trading on the royal title of an institution you and your husband have done so much to undermine.”
Another person claiming to have experience in the industry claimed that the Senators were upset with Markle for calling their private phone numbers, tweeting: “As someone who works with these people’s staffers, I can tell you the Senators were less than thrilled to have her call their private lines. A major faux pas and violation of their privacy. Her staff should have called their staffs. Gillibrand should not have given #s out.”
Last month, Markle penned an open letter to the Senate as an “engaged citizen and a parent,” arguing for paid family leave.
Markle shares two children with Prince Harry, including 2-year-old son Archie and daughter Lilibet, who was born earlier this year.
