Your royal holiday.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry—who share Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3—are enjoying creating new holiday traditions as a family with each passing year.
"I love the holidays," the Duchess of Sussex told Marie Claire in an interview published Nov. 22. "At first, I think as a mom with children you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet."
"But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year," Meghan went on, saying that "every year it gets better" as their kids grow older.
The 43-year-old added that "every single holiday is a new adventure" and noted the importance of Archie and Lilibet uncovering the "magic" of their family's holiday rituals. She gave examples like having "great recipes that they end up connecting to a formative memory" during Thanksgiving and leaving "carrots for the reindeer" on Christmas.
"We’re always making sure we have something fun to do," Meghan explained. "Like any other family you spend time having a great meal and then what do you do? Play games, all the same stuff, someone brings a guitar—fun."
All in all, the Suits alum said that the Sussexes' Thanksgiving celebrations are "always pretty low-key" and gushed that "being close to my mom is great," alluding to her mother, Doria Ragland, who also lives in Southern California.
That being said, their dinner table is always open to more guests who are looking for company around the holidays.
Meghan shared, "I was thinking about, in the past few years of having Thanksgiving here, like many of us, I think you always make sure there’s room at the table for your friends who don’t have family, which is really key."
One of those guests turned out to be Gloria Steinem, who "came for Thanksgiving" one year.
Being open to making new traditions and memories with their children around the holidays reflects what Harry deemed his "fresh perspective on life" that he had when he turned 40 back in September.
"Becoming a father of two incredibly kind and funny kids has given me a fresh perspective on life, as well as sharpening my focus in all my work," Harry—who, alongside Meghan, stepped back from royal life and relocated to North America in 2020—said at the time. "Being a dad is one of life’s greatest joys and has only made me more driven and more committed to making this world a better place."
Keep reading for more of Meghan and Harry's thoughts on parenthood.
Uncle Harry
"I don't think you can force these things. It will happen when it's gonna happen," he told Sky News back in 2015 when asked if the birth of his niece Princess Charlotte made him think about settling down. "Of course, I would love to have kids right now, but there's a process that one has to go through."
Planning for Her Little One
Years ago, Meghan even made a purchase with her future daughter in mind. "I've always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version," she recalled to Hello! in 2015. "I had it engraved on the back, 'To M.M. From M.M.' and I plan to give it to my daughter one day."
Waiting for That Special Someone
Fatherhood is a subject that—along with marriage—has long trailed Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana's younger son. "There have been moments through life, especially when we do a tour abroad, when I think, 'I'd love to have kids now'... And then there are other times when I bury my head in the sand going, 'All right, don't need kids!' There's no rush. I tell you what: There's been times I've been put off having children," he admitted to People back in May 2016, shortly before meeting his future wife.
Looking Towards the Future
In 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their engagement and sat for their first joint interview. Naturally, the topic of future kids came up. "Of course. You know, I think you know one step at a time, and hopefully, we'll start a family in the near future," Prince Harry said at the time with Meghan smiling beside him.
Joys of Motherhood
"It's magic," Meghan said about becoming a mum following Archie's birth. "It's pretty amazing and, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world, so I'm really happy."
Proud Pops
Following Archie's birth in May 2019, Harry gushed, "It's been the most amazing experience I can ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we're both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It's been amazing so we just wanted to share this with everybody."
Changed for Good
Harry reflected on the lessons he's learned since becoming a parent during a speech at the National Youth Mentoring Summit in 2019. He shared, "I'm struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn't realize that someone looks up to them that—for that person—you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful. Perhaps it's the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps."
Doting on Archie
"Our little man is our No. 1 priority but then our work after that is the second priority," Prince Harry shared during a speaking engagement in 2020, "and we're just doing everything we can to try and play our part in trying to make the world a better place."
Archie's Firsts
Harry and Meghan found a silver lining amid the coronavirus pandemic through baby Archie. "In so many ways we are fortunate to be able to have this time to watch him grow, and in the absence of COVID, we would be traveling and working more externally," Meghan shared in October 2020. "We'd miss a lot of those moments. So I think it's been a lot of really good family time."
Harry added, "We were both there for Archie's first steps, his first run, his first fall, everything."
Awaiting Her Baby Girl's Arrival
In May 2021, Meghan made a rare TV appearance during Global Citizen's VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World special. The former actress opened up about her pregnancy and shared her excitement about raising a daughter. "My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter. It's a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world," she said at the time. "When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the support to lead us forward."
She added, "Their future leadership depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now to set them up, and set all of us up, for a successful, equitable and compassionate tomorrow."
Raising the Future
Meghan makes a brief cameo in her husband's Apple TV+ series with Oprah, The Me You Can't See. During her appearance, the California native seemingly pays tribute to her growing family with a shirt that reads, "Raising the Future."
Party of Four!
The couple welcomed their baby girl. In a statement shared on their Archewell Foundation page, they gushed, "On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we've felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family."
Book Worms
On June 8, 2021, Meghan will release her first children's book, The Bench, which is a celebration of fatherhood from a mother's perspective. Of her new project, she said in a press release in May, "The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father's Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story."
Reflecting on Those Early Days
In an October 2021 letter to then-House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer explaining her support for mandatory paid parental leave in the U.S., Meghan wrote of being "overjoyed" but "overwhelmed" when her daughter was born when the pandemic was still preventing business as usual in hospitals, schools, etc.
"Like fewer parents, we weren't confronted with the harsh reality of either spending those first few critical months with our baby or going back to work," she wrote. "We knew we could take her home, and in that vital (and sacred) stage, devote any and everything to our kids and to our family. We knew that by doing so we wouldn't have to make impossible choices about childcare, work, and medical care that so many have to make every single day."
Meghan continued, "No family should be faced with these decisions. 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)."
Screen Star
On TODAY in April 2022, Harry shared that separating parenting from his work-at-home routine was pretty much a nonstarter.
"Archie spends more time interrupting our Zoom calls than anybody else," he said. "He also gets them often as well, so that's a nice thing."
Harry noted that he could already see his own sly sense of humor in his son. "I always try and keep that," he added. "I think that the cheekiness is something that keeps you alive."
Raising Kids in the Digital Age
Meghan admitted she was concerned for her—and everybody else's—kids in the age of social media.
"Being a mom is the most important thing in my entire life—outside, of course, being a wife to this one," she said, gesturing to Harry, during an October 2023 talk at the Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit: Mental Wellness in the Digital Age, part of Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day
"But I will say," she added, "I feel fortunate that our children are at an age, again quite young, so this isn't in our immediate future, but I also feel frightened at how it's continuing to change and this will be in front of us."
Noting that "the days are long but the years are short" as a parent, Meghan continued, "Everyone is affected by the online world and social media. We all just want to feel safe."
My Mother, My Mirror
"Our daughter, Lili, she's much, much tinier than you guys," Meghan told a class of kindergarteners during a May 2024 visit to Lightway Academy in Abuja, Nigeria. "She's about to turn 3. And 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.'"
"Now, she was talking really literally," Meghan added. "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.'"