Prince Harry Says Son Archie 'Found His Voice' in Africa During Trip with Mom Meghan Markle
While Prince Harry‘s love for Africa is well known, the proud father revealed that his 5-month-old son Archie is already fond of the area as well.
In ITV’s new documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, the Duke of Sussex, 35, said that his and wife Meghan Markle‘s baby boy was “making more noise” than ever before during their recent royal tour.
“He clearly loves Africa as well because he’s been happy looking out the window,” Harry revealed. “He found his voice here. He was bouncing up and down and making more noise than he’s ever made before.”
Proud mom Meghan added, “We thought he was happy before. He’s the happiest here. He’s been so happy the past two days.”
RELATED: Prince Harry Reveals Whether He and Meghan Markle Will Move to Africa with Baby Archie
On day 3 of the family’s tour, the little royal was taken by his parents for his first official royal engagement to meet with famed anti-apartheid activist Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter, Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe.
Calling the meeting “huge and significant,” Meghan said in the new documentary: “I think Archie will look back on that in so many years and that right from the beginning of his life, he was fortunate enough to have this moment with one of the best and most impactful leaders of our time. So, it’s really special.”
And speaking about her own experience during the trip, the royal mom of one said she had “never been to this part of Africa.”
“I mean it’s incredible. It’s rich in history but also just the optimism, the hope that you feel. I mean it’s just so key because there’s so much to still overcome and at the same time to actively push towards it,” she said. “I think it’s really an inspiring place to be able to be and the first place for us as a family on a trip like this to bring our baby.”
Although their time in Africa holds a special place in the royal family’s heart, with both Harry and Meghan dedicating much of their humanitarian work to helping those in Africa, the couple doesn’t plan to move to the continent anytime soon.
“I don’t know where we could live in Africa at the moment,” Harry also said in the documentary. “We just came from Cape Town, that would be an amazing place to base ourselves, of course, it would. But with all the problems that are going on there, I just don’t see how we’d be able to really make as much difference as we’d want to without the issues and the judgment of how we would be with those surroundings.”
The royal dad added, “It’s a very hard place to live when you know what’s going on. And then you’re sort of, again, slightly disconnected from it.”
Despite Harry and Meghan’s decision to remain based in the U.K., they remain committed to their efforts of conservation and humanitarian support in Africa.
“The rest of our lives, especially for our life’s work, will be predominately focused on Africa — on conservation,” Harry said. “There are 19 more countries across this continent. There’s a lot of things to be done. There’s a lot of problems here.”
“Ever since I came to this continent as a young boy, trying to cope with something I can never possibly describe, Africa has held me in an embrace that I will never forget,” he explained. “I feel incredibly fortunate for that.”
Africa has long been a go-to place for the prince, who has visited the continent since his teen years and refers to it as “his second home.” He started his charity, Sentebale, in Lesotho in 2006 to help vulnerable children and young people in the country. Harr is also the president of African Parks and patron of the Rhino Conservation Botswana.
Meghan has ties to Africa as well. In 2016, she became the Global Ambassador for World Vision Canada, traveling to Rwanda for the Clean Water Campaign.
The couple traveled to Botswana together early in their relationship in the summer of 2016, and again to celebrate Meghan’s 36th birthday in 2017.
Harry & Meghan: An African Journey will air in the U.S. on Wednesday, Oct. 23. (at 10 p.m. ET) on ABC.
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