Meghan Markle Accused Of Not Following Protocol In Call To Senator
Meghan Markle has dipped her toe in the politics pool after penning an open letter to Congress, expressing her feelings on paid parental leave. The letter, addressed to Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi was uploaded on the Paid Leave for All website on October 20. Since then, the Duchess of Sussex has been actively making phone calls to senators in an effort to lobby for the cause, according to Politico. The outlet reported that Meghan was given the telephone numbers by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. "I talked to each of the women senators and let them know that she's going to reach out, because she only completed two of the calls. She's going to call some others, so I let them know in advance," Gillibrand said.
Meghan introduced herself as "Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex" in her calls, according to Politico's report. It's unknown how many senators Meghan has reached out to at this point in time, but she seems to be the driving force behind urging them to vote in favor of paid leave. And while Meghan's efforts may be praised by some, she has also received her fair share of criticism. The main thing that seems to be making headlines is that Meghan is "using her royal title to push her agenda," OK! magazine reports. Now, she is being accused of not following proper protocol. Keep reading to find out more.
Meghan Markle's decision to cold-call senators may not have been the right move, expert suggests
It seems as though Meghan Markle can't catch a break lately. The Duchess of Sussex made headlines for cold-calling a variety of senators and introducing herself using her royal title, and while many have said that was a bit odd of her to do, it actually goes against protocol. During an interview with GB News, royal expert Angela Levin explained that Meghan should have used the proper channels to get in touch with the senators that she wanted to speak with. "I think there's a certain thing called good manners," Levin said. "If you are a member of the Royal Family – she's no longer a working member – but as you said, she uses a title all the time...So in that way, you should actually behave properly. The right way of doing it is to get your secretary to ring their secretary and then you arrange to meet," Levin explained.
Interestingly, some have suggested that Meghan drop her royal title. For example, Rep. Jason Smith told TMZ that he feels that Meghan "can't have it both ways." In an interview with the outlet, Smith said, "I think it's great for a U.S. citizen or for a former movie star of 'Suits' to be lobbying U.S. senators. But when you lobby U.S. senators, as Meghan Markle has done, as: 'I'm Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex' – she's lobbying Congress and interfering from a position of using her royal title."