GOP lawmakers are calling on the British royal family to strip Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, of her remaining royal title after using her position to influence United States politics.
Republican Reps. Jason Smith of Missouri and Lisa McClain of Michigan bashed Markle after the former “Suits” actress wrote a letter Wednesday to Democratic leaders advocating for a federally protected right to “paid leave.” The letter was written on official stationery from “the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
“Ms. Markle’s latest interference in U.S. politics reignites the question in my mind as to why the Royal Family does not simply strip her and Harry officially of their titles, particularly since she insists on sending this under the pretense of being the Duchess of Sussex,” Smith told the U.K. Daily Mail. “While her attempts at appealing to working-class families by recalling her days of eating at Sizzler were laughable, her comments make crystal clear that the passage of this massive tax-and-spend bill is aimed more at helping global elites get huge tax breaks than helping the working families she claims to have dined with.”
Last year, Smith had requested the royal family strip the titles of both Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, over interference in the U.S. election.
McClain continued bashing Markle, stating that she should “stick to acting” instead of using her celebrity and position in the royal family to lobby in U.S. politics.
“Meghan Markle is incredibly out of touch with the American people and should stick to acting instead of trying to play politics,” McClain told Daily Mail. “The last thing we need right now is wealthy celebrities pushing their liberal agendas on the American people.”
Harry and Markle announced in January 2020 that they were splitting from the royal family and intended to become “financially independent” while forgoing all of their royal duties. The couple moved to the U.S. and began pursuing business deals with companies such as Netflix. The couple retained their royal titles despite the break, however.
Markle’s Wednesday letter, addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), pushed Democrats in Congress to create a “right” to paid parental leave.
“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,” Markle began.
She cited her own childhood growing up on the “$4.99 salad bar at Sizzler” because that was all her family could afford.
“I expect many of your constituents have their own version of that story. Perhaps you do too. People in our country work incredibly hard, and yet the ask is soft: for a level playing field to achieve their version of a common dream—what is fair, and equal, and right,” she continued. “Many of our economic systems are past their expiration date, and as you well know, too many Americans are forced to shortchange themselves when it comes to what matters to them.”
“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),” Markle said.