How A Simple Phone Call On Halloween Changed Harry And Meghan's Life Forever

Meghan Markle has thrown her weight behind the paid leave movement. In October, she penned an open letter to Senator Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi addressing her concerns and asking them to consider the "working mom or parent is facing the conflict of being present or being paid." The Duchess of Sussex also noted that she and Harry were privileged enough to be able to spend time with baby Lilibet Diana after her birth in June. "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 said.

But Meghan also puts her money where her mouth is. People reported that the duchess donated $25 Starbucks gift cards, via the Archewell Foundation, to PL+US staffers. The non-profit organization is fighting for paid medical and family leave by 2022. The communications director of PL+US, Neil Sroka, took to Twitter to thank Meghan for the kind gesture. He called the act "unbelievably classy... and necessary." 

Even though she's no longer a working royal, the duchess has learned how to use her clout to further the causes that she's passionate about. But, at the start of Prince Harry and Meghan's romance, the couple did not know what to expect from the press, and what went down on Halloween 2016 has forever impacted their relationship.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to keep their romance close to their chest when they first started dating in 2016. According to the Mirror, they managed to keep their romance a secret for months before word got out that Harry and the "Suits" actor were dating. Royal authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in their book "Finding Freedom" that Meghan and Harry wanted to spend Halloween in style. "Some four months into their relationship, they were madly in love and eager to take part in the fun of one of their favourite holidays," they noted. So, Harry and Meghan donned Venetian masks to remain incognito while partying up a storm. The book continued, "The evening of October 29, with Harry in town, the couple decided to go to a big costume party being thrown at Soho House in Toronto." Apparently, they were enjoying the evening before reality came-a-knocking, much like Scotland Yard was all up in the Prince Charles cash-for-honors scandal. 

"It was possibly the perfect night out – until they received a call from one of Harry's aides at Kensington Palace. It wasn't good news," Scobie and Durand wrote. Apparently, Harry and Meghan weren't thrilled that they were going to be outed as a couple. Thankfully, things have changed, and today they use the press and their platforms to fight for causes they're passionate about.