Meghan Markle says she’s living her ‘dream’, as duchess opens up about personal life
The Duchess of Sussex has opened up about achieving her “dream” while speaking at a women’s leadership summit in Nigeria.
Meghan Markle has featured on a candid panel discussion during her unofficial ‘royal tour’ of Nigeria with husband Prince Harry.
Appearing solo for a women’s leadership event, held in the African country’s capital of Abuja, the Duchess of Sussex sat down with Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Saturday, where she spoke of how she’d achieved her “dream” of being a mother and having a flourishing career.
“I love being a mum,” Meghan, 42, told moderator Mo Abudu of raising Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, two.
However, prior to meeting Prince Harry in 2016, the former actress feared she may not be able to balance motherhood with the career she wanted.
“When I was on season one of Suits, so that was a long time ago. Now I know the show is having a resurgence, but that was a long time ago,“ said Meghan, who was wearing a red spaghetti-strap dress.
“Let’s say maybe a decade ago. And Bonnie Hammer, who runs NBC Universal, was a huge mentor, remains a huge mentor to me. And I remember having the good fortune at the time that she invited me to have breakfast, and I thought this was just the biggest deal in the world. 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, this was before I had children, this is before all the things in my life have certainly had a plot twist …”
She 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 say that you’ll never find the balance? What does life feel like if it’s imbalanced?’
“What I think that means now is that that balance will always change for you. That balance, what seems balanced 10 years ago is going to shift. And so 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.”
Meghan’s solo appearance at the event came on day two of the Sussexes three-day visit to Nigeria.
According to The Sun, Meghan arrived an hour late to the panel, where she also revealed she recently discovered her Nigerian heritage by doing a genealogy test.
“I want to start by saying thank you very much for just how gracious you’ve all been in welcoming my husband and I to this country … my country,” Meghan began.
“It has been a whirlwind 24 hours since we arrived, and I very quickly got the memo that I need to wear more colour, so I can fit in with all of you and your incredible fashion.”
Afterwards, on Sunday, Meghan and Harry attended a reception at the State Governor House in Lagos to cap off their whirlwind trip.
The duchess wore a glamorous yellow gown by Carolina Herrera, while Harry kept it simple in a suit and tie with a beige blazer.
The reception was hosted by Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa.
Meghan and Harry will next head back home to California, where they own a home in the affluent Montecito area.
The couple are busy producing two new projects as part of their multimillion-dollar deal with Netflix, which they signed after stepping down as senior royals in early 2020.
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