During her whirlwind visit to Colombia with husband Prince Harry, Meghan Markle has kept their kids Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, top of mind. Like when she wore a gold necklace with “Archie” and “Lilibet” engraved on it during a stop at local drum school Escuela Tambores de Cabildo. Or when she visited kindergarteners at the Colegio La Giralda in Santa Fe, where she told one of the kids, speaking in Spanish, “You’re the same age as my son Archie!” And on Sunday, she gave a rare insight into parenting her daughter that is truly inspirational.
Markle spoke at an Afro Women and Power event in Cali, Colombia, on Aug. 18 about the strong influences in her life. “I find inspiration in so many of the strong women that are around me, of course, my mother [Doria Ragland] being one of them,” she said, per PEOPLE.
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“So much of how I approach things is through the lens of less about the fight — that’s not interesting to me — and more about how do we show up in a space and wash things over with love and kindness and generosity,” she continued. What a beautiful way to look at things!
Later, Markle talked about the importance of representation of women in power, adding, “Part of the role modeling that I certainly try to do as a mother is to encourage our daughter — who, at 3, she has found her voice,” Markle said. “And we’re so proud of that because that is how we, as I was saying, create the conditions in which there’s 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’re going to do.”
In fact, the ripple effect has already started. Markle opened up about how she was encouraged to find her voice at a young age, which she has now done with her daughter. “I’m very, very fortunate at a young age I was able to feel as though my voice was being heard and that’s a luxury that a lot of young girls and women aren’t often afforded,” the Archewell Foundation co-founder said. “For us and the work we do with Archewell and the work we do as parents and me as a mother is ensuring that young girls feels that their voices are heard and young boys are raised to learn how to listen to girls as well. The role of men in this is crucial — and my husband is an example of this.”
During a visit to a school in Abuja, Nigeria, in May, Markle told some of the schoolchildren a story about her daughter. “A few weeks ago she looked at me and she would just see the reflection in my eyes. And she [goes], ‘Mama, I see me in you,’” Markle recalled. “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.”
She looked around the class adding, “As I look around this room, I see myself in all of you as well.” Such a sweet moment!
Before you go, check out everything we know about Princess Lilibet and the alleged controversy around her name.
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