After four jam-packed days touring around the South American nation of Colombia, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle finally brought their trip to a close on Sunday evening, when the Duchess, 43 took part in the Afro-Descendant Women and Power:Voices of Equity summit. The landmark event, which spotlighted Afro-Colombian women leaders speaking out about the challenges they face as a result of racism, gender bias and other issues, also welcomed Meghan as a panelist where she proudly reflected on the latest stage in her life, which she dubbed her “chapter of joy.” In a heartfelt but informative reflection on her life so far, the mother of two told audiences: "The more that you are able to look at your life and really, truly recognise that if you’re going to be grateful for your life, you have to be grateful for all aspects of it — the parts that were opportunities for growth and may have felt really difficult, as well as the parts that feel inspiring, joyful and full.
” READ MORE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's biggest tour bombshells - passionate kiss, 'discomfort', telling speech Looking towards the future and how to make the best of the years ahead, Meghan continued: “My intentionality is to enjoy this chapter and to be able to move through every piece of that as best as I can.” At the same event, which was held at the Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura in Cali, Meghan was joined by Binaifer Nowrojee and her host for the trip, Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez as they lifted the lid on how impactful women’s voices had been to their lives so far. In an especially poignant moment, the Duchess even addressed the assembled audience in their native tongue Spanish, before later switching to English again to relay an anecdote.
“Because we are in your country, my husband and I can feel this embrace from Colombia — it’s incredible,” she told attendees. “The culture, the history — all of it — was a dream. This trip was a dream.
” Reflecting on her own upbringing and how she wanted to champion women’s experiences and female voices, Meghan later went on to explain how it had tied into the cornerstones of the Archewell Foundation, the nonprofit organisation she and Prince Harry founded in 2020. “I was very, very fortunate [that] at a young age to feel as though my voice was being heard, and I think that’s 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 and certainly the work we do as parents, as 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.
” Meghan also added a nod to her husband Prince Harry in her empowering speech, when she said: "The role of men in this — of empowering women, of allowing them to know that their voices are heard starting at a young age all the way through adulthood — is key.” The Duchess also went on to speak highly of the women in her life, including her mother Doria Ragland and her daughter Princess Lilibet. “I find inspiration in the strong women around me, of course, my mother being one of them,” she said.
“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?” It was this same attitude that she had been keen to instil in daughter Princess Lilibet, who the Duchess even sweetly shared: “has found her voice” at the tender age of just 3..
