Meghan Markle was hailed ‘classy’ after buying coffee for employees working overtime to campaign for paid family and medical leave in the US after writing to politicians pleading for it to be made a ‘national right’.
The Duchess of Sussex gifted workers at PL+US, a group running a national campaign to win paid family and medical leave by 2022, a $25 Starbucks voucher through her non-profit Archewell.
Earlier this month, Meghan, 40, penned an impassioned plea to senior congress members on proposed parental and sick leave legislation, writing not as a ‘politician’, but an ‘engaged citizen and a parent….and as a mom’.
Neil Sroka, the director of communications for the group, took to Twitter to write: ‘The Duchess of Sussex (aka #MeghanMarkle) bought everyone at @PaidLeaveUS a few cups of coffee while we’re working overtime to #SavePaidLeave.
Meghan Markle, pictured at her home in California, was hailed ‘classy’ after buying coffee for employees working overtime to campaign for paid family and medical leave in the US after writing to politicians pleading for it to be made a ‘national right’
The Duchess of Sussex gifted workers at PL+US, a group running a national campaign to win paid family and medical leave by 2022, a $25 Starbucks voucher through her non-profit Archewell
‘Unbelievably classy… and necessary. Truly honored to know she has our backs in the fight to win’.
The gesture had a mixed reaction online, with some saying small kindnesses can make a ‘huge difference’, while others called the donation ‘pitiful’ and suggested the act could be a publicity stunt.
‘It is very sweet of you to share this news. Small kindnesses are trademark gestures from Meghan and they can make such a difference on the ground. Please tell the team we are hugely disappointed that pd leave didn’t make it across the line, but to bring paid leave policy home’, wrote one user.
However another said: ‘Some coffee? That’s it? Good deal to get a social media plug I suppose’.
Neil Sroka, the director of communications for the group, took to Twitter to write: ‘The Duchess of Sussex (aka #MeghanMarkle) bought everyone at @PaidLeaveUS a few cups of coffee while we’re working overtime to #SavePaidLeave’
The 1,030-word letter asked the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the Majority Leader in the US Senate Chuck Schumer, both Democrats, to consider her plea ‘on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry’.
It was written on the Sussexes new post-royal letterhead, which prominently uses their titles but not their official cyphers.
The letter pertains to historic legislation moving through Congress, which would make 12 weeks of paid family and sick leave available to most workers as part of new federal policy.
The US is among a handful of nations that do not guarantee paid sick leave or maternity or paternity pay.
She wrote: ‘I’m not an elected official, and I’m not a politician. 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.’
Some users praised Meghan, insisting that small gestures like buying coffee can make a ‘huge difference’
However others called the donation ‘pitiful’ and suggested the act could be a publicity stunt
Meghan says the Covid pandemic has exposed ‘long-existing fault lines in our communities’ and says ‘millions of women’ have been forced to drop out of the workforce to look after their children as a result of schools and childcare providers being closed.
The former Suits actress, who signed off as ‘Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’, concluded the letter, by writing: ‘If we’re going to create a new era of family-first policies, let’s make sure that includes a strong paid leave program for every American that’s guaranteed, accessible, and encouraged without stigma or penalty.
‘I know how politically charged things can – and have – become. But this isn’t about right or left, it’s about right or wrong.
Meghan Markle said she was writing the letter to House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate majority leader Charles Schumer ‘as a mom’ and ‘on behalf of millions of American families’
‘This is about putting families above politics. And for a refreshing change, it’s something we all seem to agree on. At a point when everything feels so divisive, let this be a shared goal that unites us.
‘So, on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry, I thank you for considering this letter, and on behalf of all families, I ask you to ensure this consequential moment is not lost.’
The duchess concedes that she and Harry are lucky enough not have had to make ‘impossible’ choices about their work and their family.
Meghan reflected on her family life after the birth of Lilibet earlier this year, saying: ‘In June, my husband and I welcomed our second child. Like any parents, we were overjoyed. Like many parents, we were overwhelmed’
‘No family should be faced with these decisions.
‘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 says.
‘I understand that with everything going on these days, people might find it easy to be apathetic about what’s happening in Washington DC… but with stakes this high none of us can afford to let apathy win.
‘So, on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry, I thank you for considering this letter, and on behalf of all families, I ask you to ensure this consequential moment is not lost.’
A spokesman for Meghan said she ‘cares deeply about advocating for families in the US and around the world’ and had partnered with three campaign organisations on the issue.
Earlier this week Meghan, who gave birth to her daughter Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor on June 4 this year, appeared on YouTube account Brightly Storytime to read her children’s book The Bench.
Sitting on a chair in her garden at her $14.65million Montecito mansion she shares with Prince Harry and their two children Archie, two, and Lilibet, Meghan said: ‘Today I’m going to be read to you my book called The Bench with illustrator Christian Robinson.
Early reviews for Meghan’s first foray into writing were not universally positive, although one cooed that ‘the book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth’
The Duchess of Sussex explained how she wrote the book as a poem for her husband Harry and their son Archie
‘I asked him to do something special for me and use watercolours, which isn’t the normal medium he works in but he did it to make it extra special.
‘I wrote this as a poem for my husband and our son Archie, and then turned it into a book so you could enjoy it too.’
At the end of the clip, the Duchess can be seen closing the book, explaining: ‘I hope you enjoyed The Bench, I loved being able to share it with you.
‘And now I hope you’re able to go and find your own special bench, or chair, or little quiet nook.
‘Just a place that means something to you that you can share with someone you love. Have a great day and come back to Brightly Storytime soon. Bye!’
Meghan has claimed her children’s book The Bench shows ‘another side of masculinity’ in a message to thank readers after it became a New York Times bestseller.
In a statement announcing her book in May 2021, the duchess said she wanted the story, which was published on June 8 by Random House, to be told through an ‘inclusive lens’ and feature a ‘diverse group of father and sons’.