Meghan Markle Says Prince Harry is a "Hands-On" Dad
"... When you're a new mom, it's a really vulnerable time."
Meghan Markle is praising her husband, Prince Harry, for being an attentive and loving, fully-engaged dad.
On Friday, during an appearance at this year's SXSW Conference's International Women's Day panel titled "Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen," the former actress touched on how her husband has helped her maintain her mental and emotional wellbeing as she's been forced to simultaneously navigate hateful social media comments.
"I'm fortunate in that, among the privileges I have in my life, I have an incredible partner," Meghan said at the time, as first reported by People.
"My husband is such a hands-on dad and such a supporter of me and my family. That I don't take for granted," she continued. "That is a real blessing. But a lot of people don't have that same level of support. So I think for us, it's about putting safeguards in so women and moms especially cannot feel like they're even more vulnerable when they go online."
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend Invictus Games Vancouver Whistlers 2025's One Year To Go Winter Training Camp on February 14, 2024 in Whistler, British Columbia.
The Duchess of Sussex was both candid and emotional when she discussed how her personal social media use has harmed her mental health.
"The bulk of the bullying and the abuse that I was experiencing in social media and online was when I was pregnant, with Archie and with Lili, and with a newborn with each of them," she explained.
"... When you're a new mom, it's a really vulnerable time," she continued. "The effect that social media can have on new mothers, even just the lack of sleep because they spend all this time scrolling, but it can also be really dizzying for them to see this portrayal of motherhood that looks so perfect when we all know it's not perfect. We all know that it's messy."
Prince Harry, Meghan, and their baby son Archie Mountbatten-Windsor.
In a previous interview with Good Morning America, Prince Harry opened up about what life is like as a dad.
"I can't tell you. That's classified. It's top secret!" he joked when asked about what he’s like as a father.
"No, the kids are doing great," he continued. "The kids are growing up like all kids do, very, very fast. They've both got an incredible sense of humor and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. I'm just grateful to be a dad."
In 2019, while speaking at the National Youth Mentoring Summit, Prince Harry touched on how fatherhood changed his life.
"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," he said at the time. "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."
