It’s not hard to believe that Meghan Markle, who boldly and successfully stepped down from her British royal duties alongside her husband, Prince Harry, is inspired by strong women.
As part of the Duchess of Sussex’s tour of Colombia, alongside her husband, she spent the weekend celebrating Afro-Colombian women and raising awareness of their challenges. While there, Meghan noted one little “woman” in particular who inspires her these days.
During a panel at the Afro Women and Power conference in Cali, Colombia on Aug. 18, Meghan spoke about how she navigates being a public figure and a role model, especially as a mother of two, son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 3.
“So much of how I approach things is through the lens of less about the fight — that’s not interesting to me — and more about how do we show up in a space and wash things over with love and kindness and generosity,” she said, per People magazine.
She added, “Part of the role modeling that I certainly try to do as a mother is to encourage our daughter — who, at 3, she has found her voice. And we’re so proud of that because that is how we, as I was saying, create the conditions in which there’s a ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that if someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard, that’s what they’re going to do. And they’re going to create a different environment than so many of us grew up in.”
Meghan noted that from a young age, she felt her voice was “being heard.”
“I think that is a luxury that a lot of young girls and women aren’t often afforded,” she continued. “For us and the work that we do with the Archewell Foundation, certainly the work that we do as parents and that I do as a mother is ensuring that young girls feel as though their voices are being heard and also that young boys are being raised to listen and to hear those young women as well. As my husband is great testament to, the role of men in this…is key.”
The duchess participated in the panel alongside Colombian Vice President Francia Marquez, who invited the royal couple to the country. While opening up to the crowd, Meghan noted how excited she was to be in Colombia.
“Because we are in your country, my husband and I can feel this embrace from Colombia — it’s incredible,” she reportedly said, per People. “The culture, the history — all of it was a dream — this trip was a dream. I can feel this community and this is the feeling that is the best thing right now.”
Since touching down in Colombia, the Duke and Duchess have participated in a number of humanitarian events while also making time for a little romance and fun. In a video posted to social media, the married couple demonstrated their dancing ability and shared a kiss while learning salsa during a visit to Jóvenes en Cali, a youth organization in the city.