Meghan Markle loves the holidays.
The Duchess of Sussex said as much in a recent interview with Marie Claire, in which she shared how she and her young family, including Prince Harry, spend each holiday season.
For one, the 43-year-old mother of two is excited to share in the joy with their two children, Prince Arcihe, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
“At first, I think as a mom with children, you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet,” she said. “But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year.”
The holidays for Meghan and her family kick off with what she described as a “pretty low-key” Thanksgiving celebration.
“I was thinking about, in the past few years of having Thanksgiving here, like many of us, I think you always make sure there’s room at the table for your friends who don’t have family, which is really key,” she said.
In her case, this has meant welcoming the likes of Gloria Steinem to past celebrations. But for the Sussexes, a low-key Thanksgiving also involves spending time with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, who lives near their home in California.
“Being close to my mom is great,” she expressed.
She added that her family typically makes sure they have “something fun to do.”
“Like any other family, you spend time having a great meal and then what do you do? Play games, all the same stuff, someone brings a guitar — fun,” she continued. “Every single holiday is a new adventure.”
Meghan went on to note the importance of her children getting to experience the “magic” of the holiday season, including “great recipes that they end up connecting to a formative memory.” That currently includes leaving carrots out for Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve.
The Duchess caught up with Marie Claire as she hosted a holiday dinner for Afghan women who recently relocated to California through Mina’s List, an organization that helps Afghan women evacuate Afghanistan and find resources and support. The women are also receiving support through the Archewell Foundation’s Welcome Project, which Meghan and Prince Harry launched in 2023 to bolster support for women who have resettled in the U.S. from Afghanistan, People magazine reported. Presently, there are 11 Welcome Project branches in nine states.
The dinner was held at trendy woman- and immigrant-owned cookware company Our Place and involved good food, lively conversation, and even poetry.
“From my standpoint, I think part of why we wanted to make sure we had this opportunity to all be together again — so many of us — right now is that as the holidays come up, and have already begun in many regards, it brings up so much emotion for people,” Meghan said during her remarks at the dinner.
“You miss home, you miss your country and also can find comfort in the new community that you have here,” she continued. “I’m grateful that we are able to be a part of that community.”
