Meghan Markle Says She’s in Her ‘Chapter of Joy’ During Visit to Colombia
Meghan, 43, took part in the Afro-Descendant Women and Power: Voices of Equity summit on Aug. 18, which spotlighted Afro-Colombian women leaders speaking out about the challenges they face as a result of racism, gender bias and other issues.
Speaking on a panel, the Duchess of Sussex said she was looking at this time in her life as her “chapter of joy.”
“The more that you are able to look at your life and really, truly recognize 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,” she said.
She added, “My intentionality is to enjoy this chapter and to be able to move through every piece of that as best as I can.”
The event, held at the Teatro Municipal Enrique Buenaventura in Cali, saw Meghan, Binaifer Nowrojee and her host for the trip, Colombian Vice President Francia Márquez, speak about how uplifting women’s voices has been a cornerstone of each of their life’s work.
“Because we are in your country, my husband and I can feel this embrace from Colombia — it’s incredible,” said Meghan, who began her remarks in Spanish before switching to English. “The culture, the history — all of it — was a dream. This trip was a dream.”
“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,” Meghan said, referencing when she wrote letters aiming to have a commercial’s language changed to be less sexist when she was 11 years old.
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 added, “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,” and pointed to her husband, Prince Harry, as an example of someone who does that work.
