While in Nigeria on a mini tour, Meghan Markle opened up about how much she ‘loves’ being a mother as well as how she balances her work and family life.
The Duchess of Sussex shares two young children with her husband Prince Harry: Archie, five, and Lilibet, two.
On a tour in celebration of the anniversary of the Invictus Games, Meghan made some sweet comments about motherhood, and revealed information about her children whom she is notoriously private about.
The pair’s final day in Nigeria was Mother’s Day, and Meghan wrapped up the trip saying “I am very, very grateful, I am very humbled, and today is Mother’s Day.
“So it feels appropriate, but though of course we are missing our children, I’m missing my babies, but it feels very appropriate to be in the motherland and amongst family,” she stated, referring to her young children and her Nigerian heritage. “So thank you so much for the kindness […] I’m very grateful and we can’t wait to come back.”
During the tour, the Duchess co-hosted a Women in Leadership event in Nigeria which aimed to highlight the importance of female leadership and empowerment in driving global positive change.
At the event, the topic of how women juggle motherhood with their careers was raised and Meghan was asked for advice. She sincerely replied, “I love being a mum, I love being a mum.
“When I was on season one of Suits, so that was a long time ago. […] And Bonnie Hammer, who runs NBCUniversal, was a huge mentor, remains a huge mentor to me.
“And I asked her that exact question. I said, ‘How do you find the balance?’ And she said, ‘You don’t, you’ll never find the balance.'”
“And this was before I was married, before I had children, before all the things in my life have certainly had a plot twist,” Meghan continued.
“And it struck me and it stayed with me for a long time because you say, ‘Well how can you be so successful? And she’s a mother as well and she’s married and says that you’ll never find the balance? What does life feel like if it’s imbalanced?'”
Meghan continued: “What I think that to mean now is that that balance will always change for you. That balance, what seemed balanced ten years ago is going to shift.”
Meghan and Harry have largely kept Archie and Lilibet out of the spotlight, with the public only given rare glimpses into the young royals’ lives.
But at the event, the Duchess revealed some adorable details about their children’s personalities.
“Being a mum has always been a dream of mine. And I’m so fortunate that we have two beautiful, healthy, very chatty sweet children.”
Earlier in the tour, both Meghan and Harry made a visit to Lightway Academy and met with young students. At the school, the Sussexes gave some rare insight into their children’s hobbies.
“Is singing and dancing your favourite class?” Harry reportedly asked one student after they danced. Meghan added, “That’s Lili’s favourite class. Maybe it’s all the jumping around.”
Later, the couple went to a science and mathematics class when Prince Harry asked the students “Who enjoys electronics?”. Meghan then revealed that Archie is also a fan of construction.
To finish off their trip to Lightway Academy, the Duchess told a touching story about her daughter Lilibet.
“Our daughter, Lili, she’s much, much tinier than you guys. She’s about to turn three,” Meghan began.
“And a few weeks ago, she looked at me and she would just see the reflection in my eyes. And she [said], ‘Mama, I see me in you.’ Oh, now she was talking really, literally. But I hung onto those words in a very different way.
“And I thought, yes, I do see me in you, and you see me in you, but as I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.”
On a later tour of Colombia, Meghan made some more sweet comments about her daughter in particular, proudly revealing that Lilibet has “found her voice.”
“Lilibet has found her voice, and we are so proud of that. Because that is how we create the conditions in which there is a ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that if someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard, that’s what they are going to do,” the Duchess shared.
These rare comments and insights into the Sussexes’ lives give royal fans an idea of what Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet get up to and what they enjoy in their day-to-day lives while living in California and away from the public eye.
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