09 March 2024 , 16:57
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Meghan Markle lauded her "incredible partner" Prince Harry when she appeared at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas on Friday, and praised him as a father.
The Duchess of Sussex, who appeared on-stage alongside the likes of Katie Couric and Brooke Shields, waxed lyrical about how supportive Harry is as a husband and how "hands-on" he is as a dad.
Addressing the crowd, during her keynote speech, titled Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen, Meghan, 42, gushed over Harry, 39, as he looked on adoringly from the front row.
She lovingly shared: "I'm fortunate in that, you know, amongst the privileges I have in my life, I have an incredible partner. My husband is such a hands-on dad and such a supporter of me and our family, and that I don't take for granted. That is a real blessing.
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Meghan Markle opened up about family life (alexilubomirski/Instagram)
Meghan Markle got candid at the festival (Getty Images)"But a lot of people don't have that support." Harry and Meghan share two children, Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, who they are raising at their luxury mansion in Montecito, California, after stepping down from their senior positions in the Royal Family in January, 2020.
Since leaving the UK and the Royals, the pair have had a famously strained relationship with the firm, following the duo's explosive Oprah interview in March, 2021, and following the release of Harry's autobiography Spare in January, 2023, which detailed further about his fractured relationship with the Royals.
The pair have faced a wave of criticism since quitting the Royals and a barrage of negative comments on social media, which Meghan also spoke about at the festival and shared how the "pain" of that has affected her in day-to-day life.
She explained: "Yes, social media is an environment that I think has a lot of that, you know?" before trailing off while chatting on the panel.
Meghan added: "Oh, it's really interesting as I can reflect on it. I keep my distance on it right now, just for my own wellbeing. But the bulk of the bullying and abuse that I was experiencing in social media and online, was when I was pregnant with Archie and with Lili.
"And you just think about that and really wrap your head around what people would be so hateful. It's not catty, it's cruel, why you would do that? Certainly when you're pregnant and you have a newborn."
She concluded: "You can either succumb to it, or nearly succumb to how painful that is, and maybe in some regards because I was pregnant that mammalian instinct just kicked in. Everything you can to protect your child, and as a result protect yourself too."