“Thank you for being by my side. Now and always. I love you.”
Meghan Markle knew she was destined for motherhood.
The 43-year-old Duchess of Sussex became a mother for the first time in May 2019 when she welcomed her son, Prince Archie, one year after her royal wedding with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
The couple later welcomed a daughter, Princess Lilibet, in June 2021, per People.
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During the May 20 episode of her “Confessions of a Female Founder” podcast, which launched in April, Markle opened up about what she expected from her motherhood journey prior to welcoming Archie.
And, more specifically, how those expectations fell short of reality.
“I’ve always wanted to be a mom,” Markle says while talking to guest Cassandra Thurswell. “Before I was a mom, I was like, ‘Oh, gosh, I’m going to give a speech with a baby on my hip.”
“I had a whole vision,” she adds. “And then you fast forward.”
Markle goes on to admit that she “had a lot of external things happening” in her leadup to motherhood, which played a role in her unique journey to becoming a mom.
“But it was not the way I envisioned it,” she continued.
Markle was, of course, alluding to her and her husband’s decision to step back as working members of the British royal family — a process that began in January 2020 and was made official two months later.
Prince Archie was 10 months old when the couple exited royal life.
One year later, as the couple was settling into their new life in Montecito, California, they welcomed their second child, Princess Lilibet.
On the podcast, Markle and Thurswell talked about the importance of “always having a vision” for what they’re doing, even when that vision doesn’t come with a strategy.
“Being able to see that North Star where you can trust that you're going to be, even on the darkest days,” Markle says — adding that she wants her kids to “see me as a working mom.”
Markle hits major milestone one day after celebrating wedding anniversary
Markle’s admission about motherhood comes one day after she celebrated her seventh wedding anniversary with Prince Harry.
The former “Suits” actress took to Instagram to share a collage of photos from the couple’s time together.
“Seven years of marriage. A lifetime of stories,” she wrote in the May 19 caption. “Thanks to all of you (whether by our side, or from afar) who have loved and supported us throughout our love story.”
On May 20, Markle officially surpassed three million followers on the platform.
Markle made her triumphant return to Instagram on Jan. 1 with a video of herself running in the sand.
Her account reached one million followers several days later, per Geo News, and surpassed two million followers by Valentine’s Day.
Her newfound success comes amid a year that saw her announce the rebranding of her lifestyle company, As ever, in February and launch her new Netflix series, “With Love, Meghan,” in March.
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Her Lemonado podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder,” debuted the following month.
