Meghan calls on politicians to grant paid parental leave

THE Duchess of Sussex has written to US Democrats to demand paid leave for new parents, in her most significant political lobbying to date.

The Duchess, who said she was writing as a “mom”, argued mothers and fathers should not be forced to “choose between earning a living and having the freedom to take care of their child”.

Detailing her own upbringing, she said she “grew up on the $4.99 salad bar” and went on to work an array of entry-level jobs through the necessity of “making ends meet and having enough to pay my rent and put gas in my car”.

Writing in a 1,010-word letter on headed notepaper to Chuck Schumer, the US senator, and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, the Duchess joined the “Paid Leave For All” campaign saying “with stakes this high none of us can afford to let apathy win”.

“If we’re going to create a new era of family first policies, let’s make sure that includes a strong paid leave programme for every American that’s guaranteed, accessible, and encouraged without stigma or penalty,” she said.

“I know how politically charged things can – and have – become.

“But this isn’t about Right or Left, it’s about right or wrong. This is about putting families above politics.”

Comparing current US policies – which do not guarantee any paid leave – unfavourably with other nations, she did not mention the UK’S more comprehensive parent-leave policies despite having her first child, Archie, in England. Of her US homeland, she said: “I’m sure you agree that if we are to continue to be exceptional, then we can’t be the exception.”

The Duchess outlined her own family circumstances, in which she and the Duke of Sussex did not have to worry about their finances after the birth of their second child, Lilibet.

The Duchess, who described herself as “an engaged citizen and a parent”, has previously urged Americans to use their vote ahead of the presidential election, and lobbied for vaccine equity.