Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, penned a letter to Congress that urges lawmakers to pass legislation that would create a national paid leave program for new parents.

The duchess, who is married to Prince Harry of the United Kingdom, released the letter Wednesday on paidleaveforall.org. It’s addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the leading Democrats in their respective chambers.

In her letter, Meghan advocates for paid leave by describing how the coronavirus pandemic has shined a light a problem that has existed for a long time in the U.S.

“At an alarming rate, millions of women dropped out of the workforce, staying home with their kids as schools and daycares were closed, and looking after loved ones full-time,” she wrote. “The working mom or parent is facing the conflict of being present or being paid. The sacrifice of either comes at a great cost.

She also used her own upbringing as an example of how many American families struggle to make ends meet, especially those with children.

“I grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler—it may have cost less back then (to be honest, I can’t remember)—but what I do remember was the feeling: I knew how hard my parents worked to afford this because even at five bucks, eating out was something special, and I felt lucky,” she wrote. “And as a Girl Scout, when my troop would go to dinner for a big celebration, it was back to that same salad bar or The Old Spaghetti Factory—because that’s what those families could afford to do too.

The duchess also described working small jobs from the age of 13 to help cover odds and ends.

“I worked all my life and saved when and where I could—but even that was a luxury—because usually it was about making ends meet and having enough to pay my rent and put gas in my car,” she said.

Meghan argued that families shouldn’t be faced with “impossible choices” about childcare, work, and medical care.

“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),” she wrote.

The royal pointed out that the U.S. has fallen behind most of the other developed countries regarding this issue. In a list of 41 countries, Pew Research found in 2019 that the U.S. is the only nation that does not mandate any paid leave for new parents.

“Paid leave should be a national right, rather than a patchwork option limited to those whose employers have policies in place, or those who live in one of the few states where a leave program exists,” wrote Meghan. “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.”

Though the letter was addressed to Democratic leaders, who largely support paid family leave, the duchess called for lawmakers in both major parties to work together to take action to help working families.

Meghan’s letter comes as Democrats have been forced to whittle down President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion social spending plan, which originally included a proposal to offer workers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. It’s unclear if the measure will be scaled back or completely removed from the final bill that’s making its way through Congress.

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Related video above: Duchess Meghan believes her new children's book shows 'another side of masculinity'

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she hopes "any family" will see themselves represented in the pages of her children's book, "The Bench," in her first interview since speaking to Oprah Winfrey in March.

The Duchess said that "growing up, I remember so much how it felt to not see yourself represented," in an interview with National Public Radio's (NPR) Samantha Balaban.

"So any child or any family hopefully can open this book and see themselves in it, whether that means glasses or freckled or a different body shape or a different ethnicity or religion," Meghan said.

While the book opens and ends with depictions of Meghan's family, there is a diverse range of fathers and sons depicted throughout the story.

"This story that I wrote for my husband and son could really be your story also," she told the radio station's children's book series, "Picture This."

Earlier this year Meghan and her husband Prince Harry sparked a heated conversation about racism, the British tabloid press and the royal family following their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Quiet moments

Meghan's book was published last month. It is inspired by Prince Harry and their son Archie Harrison, and is about relationships between fathers and sons, depicted in quiet moments spent on benches.

Meghan said that "especially in this past year," against the backdrop of a global pandemic, that "so many of us realized how much happens in the quiet."

"So, in this story, I'm observing this love between my husband and our son and imagining what it will be as they have more shared moments as our son gets older," she said.

"From scraping a knee to having a heart broken, whatever it is that they always reset at this bench and have this moment to bond," Meghan added.

The book emerged from a poem and bench that Meghan gave Harry for his first Father's Day. The interview, to be aired Sunday, marks the couple's second Father's Day.

It was recorded before the birth of their second child, Lilibet Diana, who was born earlier this month.

Their daughter was named after her great-grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, whose family nickname is Lilibet. Her middle name, Diana, was chosen to honor her late grandmother.

Meghan said award-winning illustrator Christian Robinson included small details in the book that her son Archie would pick up on, and subtle nods to the late Princess Diana.

"I think you can find sweet little moments that we've tucked in there -- from my favorite flower, even my husband's mom's favorite flower, forget-me-nots," Meghan said.

"We wanted to make sure those were included in there. There's a lot of, a lot of special detail and love that went into this book," she said.

Harry and Meghan were married in a lavish wedding at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, England, three years ago.

They stepped back from their roles as senior working royals last year, relinquishing their HRH titles, and now live in Santa Barbara, California.