Parental leave in the USA
Do royals have to be neutral? Meghan justifies her political commitment
Duchess Meghan spoke at a NY Times event about paid maternity leave and parental leave
© Youtube NY Times Events
Again and again, Duchess Meghan uses her fame to interfere in political debates. That causes criticism, because royals are traditionally considered politically neutral. Meghan has now defended her commitment.
How political can members of the British royal family be? Officially, the following has always been the rule: the royal family is neutral, and all of them even voluntarily undertake not to vote. For decades, the Queen has seen heads of government of all political lines come and go, but she remains – and for that reason alone has to be diplomatic. Therefore, the behavior of Duchess Meghan causes criticism from some royal experts.
Because Meghan is currently actively involved in a political debate in the USA, it is about state-paid parental leave. Through her title of nobility, she got access to the telephone numbers of high-ranking senators, discussed with them and also spoke publicly about the topic. Now Prince Harry’s wife has defended herself for her commitment at a panel discussion in the New York Times.
Meghan knows that royals are actually silent about politics
“I think that’s one of those things that are neither red nor blue,” she said, referring to the traditional colors of the competing parties in the US, red for Republicans and blue for Democrats. “We all agree that people need support, definitely when they have just had a child,” said Meghan. From their point of view, paid parental leave is simply a humanitarian issue.
The US is one of only six countries in the world that does not offer state-paid parental leave. “That just doesn’t make sense,” said Meghan, who has two children with Prince Harry. She knows that “my husband’s family does not interfere in politics”. But she is just passionate.
Incidentally, Meghan is by no means the only member of the Royal Family who has spoken out politically against the norm: Prince Charles has long been committed to environmental protection, calling for higher taxes, among other things. And even the Queen had recently positioned herself with astonishing clarity when she appealed to the heads of government at the world climate summit in Glasgow to use her power to protect the climate.
Sources: Youtube, Vanity Fair