What Exclusive Political Event Was Meghan Markle Just Invited To?

Meghan Markle has always been interested in politics. As a student at Northwestern University, she wound up a double major in both theater and international relations. "I hated the idea of being this cliché — a girl from L.A. who decides to be an actress. ... I had always loved politics, so I ended up changing my major completely," she told Marie Claire in 2013. "I applied for an internship at the U.S. Embassy, so I ended up working in the embassy in Buenos Aires for a few months." Even when she became a full-time actor, she traveled to Rwanda in 2016 when she became the Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada, per People, and made a memorable speech at the U.N. Women's 2015 conference. 

That drive to make a difference must still be in Meghan, as she reportedly cold-called Republican senators about the $3.5 trillion spending bill, as detailed by Page Six. Maine Senator Susan Collins told Politico writer Marianne LeVine, "I was happy to talk with her. But I'm more interested in what the people of Maine are telling me about it. ... Much to my surprise, she called me on my private line and she introduced herself as the Duchess of Sussex, which is kind of ironic."

While some people are trying to figure out how Meghan even got a hold of the politicians and their private phone numbers, there's a new report that says she's just been invited to attend an exclusive political event in Washington, D.C. with a very prominent senator.

According to the Daily Mail, Meghan Markle might soon make her second trip to the East Coast in the second half of 2021. In September, she and Prince Harry flew to New York City to participate in Global Citizen Live, and now she might be headed to Washington, D.C. That's because the Duchess of Sussex was reportedly invited by New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to talk about an issue close to Meghan's heart: paid parental leave. 

The duchess wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Church Schumer about the matter. "No family should have to choose between earning a living and having the freedom to take care of their child," Meghan wrote. While the letter wasn't an immediate success, Gillibrand feels that enlisting Meghan's help in the effort might help push open the right doors and hopefully, begin a serious discussion that might lead to a change. "I could hear how sincere she was about advocacy," the Democratic senator told The 19th.

Seeing how there were even previous reports suggesting Meghan might have some political ambitions for the future — including a rumored bid for the White House, according to a March Daily Mail story — we'd say that this would be a good start.