Harry And Meghan’s Holiday Card Highlights Meghan’s Fight For Paid Leave
There’s a theme here.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaned into the season of giving by highlighting some important causes in one of their two holiday cards on Dec. 23. In addition to sharing a personal family card with their 6-month-old daughter Lilibet and 2-year-old son Archie, the couple’s Archewell Foundation holiday card highlights causes close to their hearts. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s holiday 2021 card reveals a clear theme in what the couple is advocating for — and it’s right in line with Meghan’s recent push for paid family leave.
Harry and Meghan are celebrating their daughter Lilibet’s first holiday season, and it’s clear family rights are at the forefront of their charity work. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex founded the nonprofit Archewell Foundation in 2020 to “uplift and unite communities — local and global, online and offline — one act of compassion at a time,” per the foundation’s website, so it’s no surprise the holiday card put out by they foundation puts an emphasis on advocacy for certain causes.
According to an image of the card shared by Royal reporter Omid Scoobie on Twitter on Dec. 23, the greeting wished recipients a happy holiday and went on to say, “In your honor, Archewell has made donations this year to several organizations working tirelessly to uplift families around the world.” The list includes seven organizations Archewell Foundation donated to in 2021, and three of them — Paid Leave for All, Paid Leave for the United States (PL + US), and Marshall Plan For Moms — are focused on advocating for paid family leave, a cause Meghan has been vocal about in recent months.
On Oct. 20, Meghan wrote an open letter in support of paid leave to U.S. Congress addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “...I’m writing to you at this deeply important time — as a mom — to advocate for paid leave,” she wrote in the letter shared by Paid Leave for All. Meghan went on to share her recent experience of giving birth to her second child, Lilibet, and addressed the “first few critical months” where most parents are tasked with choosing to stay home with their baby or return to work. The Duchess acknowledged she and Harry weren’t “confronted with the harsh reality” and continued with her plea for paid leave and addressing the “alarming rate” at which women have dropped out of the workforce to care for families.
“If we’re going to create a new era of family first policies, let’s make sure that includes a strong paid leave program for every American that’s guaranteed, accessible, and encouraged without stigma or penalty,” she said in her letter’s closing.
A little more than a week later, Meghan also donated Starbucks gift cards to PL + US employees via the Archewell Foundation, with the message that read, “Just a little something to keep you going. Thank you for all that you do.”
The United States is one of six countries without “any form of national paid leave,” per The New York Times. According to their respective websites, Paid Leave for All, Paid Leave for the United States (PL + US), and Marshall Plan For Moms are working to secure: payments for women who’ve been forced to leave the workforce, paid family leave for all U.S. parents, affordable childcare, pay equity for women, and job retraining.
Other donations made by Archewell in 2021 include Team Rubicon (a relief organization), Welcome.US (an Afghanistan refugee initiative), Human First Coalition (an organization that aids vulnerable Americans and Afghans in Afghanistan), and Humanity Crew (a mental health advocacy organization aiding refugees). Elite Daily reached out to Archewell Foundation for information about in what amounts and the frequency with which the donations were made, but did not hear back at the time publication.
Not to be missed among their show of generosity is the photo debut of Lilibet. Their personal holiday card photographed by Alexi Lubomirski, which was sent to family and friends, is the epitome of cuteness: It shows Meghan holding Lilibet in the air and Harry holding little Archie (and his matching red hair) on his lap.
The card reads, “This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa,’ and Lili made us a family.”
In her Oct. 20 letter, Meghan implored Congress “to ensure this consequential moment is not lost,” and it’s clear she didn’t let the holidays mean taking a break from her paid leave advocacy. Plus, we finally got a peek at Lili, which is what I would call a win-win situation.
