Meghan Markle Publicly Praises Prince Harry as an 'Incredible' Partner & Dad
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty ImagesMeghan Markle took to the stage in Austin, Texas, on Friday as part of the high-profile SXSW Conference and couldn't help but show Prince Harry some love along the way. Meghan was part of an International Women's Day panel called "Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen," that featured her in conversation with Katie Couric, Brook Shields, and author and sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen.
During that conversation, Meghan shared her experiences with pervasive and toxic bullying in the press and on social media and how that impacted her as a pregnant woman and as a new mother. She also explained how and why Prince Harry was a bright spot throughout all of racially charged attacks against her.
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Harry is an 'incredible partner,' she said.
Meghan and Harry are parents to Archie (age 4) and Lili (age 2), who they are raising largely out of the spotlight in California. Meghan praised Harry for being a bright spot during her darkest days of being bullied and attacked online, People Magazine reported.
"I'm fortunate in that, among 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 my family. That I don't take for granted. That is a real blessing," she shared. "But a lot of people don't have that same level of support. So I think for us, it's about putting safeguards in so women and moms especially cannot feel like they're even more vulnerable when they go online."
Meghan felt targeted by online bullies during her most vulnerable times.
Meghan has been open in the past about how her mental health suffered after she married Prince Harry and became the subject of nearly constant attacks in the media. On Friday, she spoke about it again. She felt most targeted when she was pregnant and a new mother. "You just think about that. And you have to really wrap your head around why people would be so hateful. It's not catty, it's cruel," she explained. "Why you would do that. And certainly when you're pregnant or you have a newborn, we all as mums, you know it's such a tender and sacred time."
She noted that even non-royal moms can struggle with social media
"The effect that social media can have on new mothers, even just the lack of sleep because they spend all this time scrolling, but it can also be really dizzying for them to see this portrayal of motherhood that looks so perfect when we all know it's not perfect. We all know that it's messy," Meghan said as Harry watched on from the audience.
Harry and Meghan made time for a date while in Texas.
Although Meghan and Harry were in Texas for Meghan's panel discussion about a serious topic, they also made time for some fun. In addition to a dinner out at Austin's Soho House, they also grabbed some good-old Texas barbeque at a locally owned spot called la Barbecue.
Cory Rivademar, the restaurant's director of operations, shared that the couple were "absolutely lovely" and took photos with staff and patrons, according to an interview with People. The couple toured the barbecue pits, ate brisket and sausage, and even sent a note afterward praising the meal as some of the best BBQ they've ever had. Rivademar praised them as "Very genuine and very loving. Happy couple. Nice to people who didn't even know what was going on."
Check out our Meghan Markle page for all the latest news about Meghan, Prince Harry, and their growing family.
