The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, came under fire on Friday, as it was revealed that she had been cold-calling US politicians in an effort to pass a bill on paid parental leave. 

Meghan has been accused of using her royal title to sway the opinions of politicians, with criticism following suit, especially from British broadcaster Piers Morgan, who took to Twitter to vent his outrage. 

Snippets of the conversation have been reported by Politico, which said that Senator Shelley Moore Capito had received an unexpected call from Meghan on a private number. “I’m in my car. I’m driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly … I thought it was Senator Manchin. His calls come in blocked. And she goes ‘Sen. Capito?’ I said,”Yes.’ She said, ‘This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex,” Capito told Politico. 

But Capito wasn’t the only one that Meghan mustered up the courage to call on the matter. Senator Susan Collins from Maine told Politico that she also received a surprise call from the Duchess of Sussex.  

As the senators scratched their heads wondering how Meghan had gotten hold of their numbers, it came out that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand had been in touch with the royal and passed on the senators’ numbers. 

“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,” Senator Gillibrand told Politico. 

This isn’t the first time Meghan has stepped into the political sphere, as she’s claimed in the past that she has considered running for the Democratic nomination for US President in 2024 if Joe Biden doesn’t choose a second term. And Meghan has also been quite busy in the business arena, too, as she is reportedly set to enter the world of cosmetics.