Meghan Markle credits Archie, Lili for changing her and Prince Harry's life

It’s been six years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began their parenthood journey, and the rest is history. In a bid to carve an independent path for their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the couple stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and moved to California. But they didn’t anticipate just how much their kids would continue to reshape their lives.

Meghan, 44, reflected on the positive influence parenthood has had on both her and Harry, 41, during their recent appearance at an Oprah book launch event focused on the effects of a screen-based childhood on Wednesday, January 7. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined a virtual conversation with authors Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price, whose book The Amazing Generation explores the effects of excessive smartphone use on young people. During the discussion, Meghan reflected on how encouraging real-world connection at home has changed not only her children, but herself.

“You were saying, you cannot replace the feeling of a deep, guttural belly laugh. An emoji laugh is not the same physiological response that we need, that our kids need,” Meghan said. 

The As Ever founder then added: “What I love is that the more that we encourage our children to do this, we mimic those same behaviours. We also start to play, and we also start to be more present.”

The couple emphasised that their approach is rooted in everyday family life, not just theory. Harry praised the authors’ research, calling it “incredibly valuable,” and congratulated them on sparking what he described as a much-needed, parent-led movement.

“Obviously, a huge congratulations to you and the outcome of your research, which has created a parent-led movement, which is astonishing and much needed,” Harry said.

Meghan also noted that she and Harry are “proud to be a part” of broader efforts to address digital overconsumption, work that extends through their Archewell Philanthropies, which was founded right after their royal exit in 2020 and recently underwent a major transformation to include Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4. 

Their advocacy includes The Parents’ Network and The Lost Screen Memorial, launched in 2025 to honour children affected by online harms.