Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Won't Have More Than Two Children for the Sake of the Planet
Harry revealed their decision in British Vogue.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pulled out every imaginable stop for the September issue of British Vogue that she guest-edited—including an appearance by Prince Harry, who interviewed conservationist and primatologist Dr Jane Goodall on "environment, responsibility and climate change." In the interview, Harry revealed his concerns for the planet left to his children, and exactly how many kids he and Meghan plan to have.
Having a child affected his perspective on conservation, Harry said. "I think, weirdly, because of the people that I’ve met and the places that I’ve been fortunate enough to go to, I’ve always had a connection and a love for nature. I view it differently now, without question," he explained.
"But I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children…" he said, prompting Dr Jane Goodall to interject, "Not too many!" Harry responded, "Two, maximum!" continuing, "But I’ve always thought: this place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation."
In the same interview, Prince Harry condemned racism and unconscious bias, addressing prejudices many refuse to acknowledge that they hold. "Despite the fact that if you go up to someone and say, 'What you've just said, or the way that you've behaved, is racist"—they'll turn around and say, 'I'm not a racist,'" Harry said.
"'I'm not saying that you're a racist, I'm just saying that your unconscious bias is proving that, because of the way that you've been brought up, the environment you've been brought up in, suggests that you have this point of view—unconscious point of view—where naturally you will look at someone in a different way,'" he continued. "And that is the point at which people start to have to understand."
"Just as stigma is handed down from generation to generation, your perspective on the world and on life and on people is something that is taught to you," he added. "It's learned from your family, learned from the older generation, or from advertising, from your environment. And, therefore, you have to be able to have a wider perspective."
Meghan Markle has faced constant racist abuse from both the media and the broader public, prompting a rare statement from Kensington Palace on Harry's behalf. In November 2016, he condemned the "wave of abuse and harassment" Meghan experienced, addressing "the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments."
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"This is not a game—it is her life and his," the statement read.
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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.
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