Meghan Markle today, November 1, revealed she studied for the UK’s citizenship test after meeting Prince Harry, and it was “so hard” hard that she asked Harry for help but he too had “no idea” about some answers.
Meghan revealed that she had prepared for the Life in the UK test “a couple of years ago” but did not reveal whether she actually took the test or simply studied for it.
Meghan recalled: “That citizenship exam is so hard. I was studying for it and I remember going: ‘Oh my goodness’. I would ask my husband: ‘Did you know this? Did you know this?’ And he would say: ‘I had no idea’.”
The Duchess of Sussex’s guest on her latest Spotify podcast episode is First Lady of Canada Sophie Trudeau.
The friends spoke about the challenges of parenting and being a partner to two famous men.
They described the “crushing guilt” of being a mother in the public eye.
Meghan, 41, revealed she threw a pool party this summer for Mrs Trudeau during which the two “giggled like schoolgirls” and drank wine on the terrace of her Montecito mansion.
When Meghan began dating Harry in 2016, she was urged to take advice from Mrs Trudeau by her friend Jessica Mulroney, who deemed the two women “now had a lot in common” due to their famous husbands.
Meghan admitted Sophie Trudeau “used to send me little meditations during my pregnancy” and voice notes “‘of encouragement”, adding: “I’ve gone to her over the years for advice.”
Meghan said: “Sophie has become a dear friend and someone who I think is so emblematic of strength that comes from embracing your humanity, even in the face of all these family and home and public pressures, keeping that sense of self while holding up the mantle of what comes with being a parent and a spouse, that’s a full plate.”
In the podcast, Meghan describes a day of laughter and fun at her Montecito mansion with Mrs Trudeau. Their children played in the swimming pool on pizza-shaped floats while they drank wine “on the terrace” and were “giddy like absolute schoolgirls.”
Meghan said: “This wasn’t our day of being the wives and moms, all perfectly quaffed with up-dos and pearls and demure smiles.
“This was the other version of us both with wild curly hair and swimsuits and loose linen and huge belly laughs. Big cuddles with our little ones, quiet whispers of girl talk on the terrace, giddy like absolute schoolgirls. We were just having so much fun.”
Meghan went on to speak about her morning routine as a mother.
She went on: “So the morning rush – I’m sure it’ll only get more chaotic as they get older.
“But for me, it’s, you know, both monitors on for the kids to hear them, always up with Lili, get her downstairs, then a half hour later Archie’s up. Start doing his lunch box right before he’s up, while I have her, getting her a little nibble.
“My husband’s helping me get him downstairs. I make breakfast for all three of them. It’s very important to me. I love doing it.
“For me it just feels like the greatest way to start the morning. And then it’s like, feed all three of the dogs because we just got another dog and then get Archie out the door to school and… it feels like a whirlwind.”
TV star Pamela Adlon, who was also Meghan’s guest on the podcast, asked: “I hope daddy’s being a good contributor?”
Meghan replied: “Oh my husband, oh he’s great. I mean, to do this as a single mom, I like bow down to you.”
The duchess added: “Why is it still so judgmental and hard out there? And why – there’s an expectation for it to look so easy for some? – just so put together… can we just all be real?”
In a soundbite shared by Meghan on the podcast, the duchess’ mother Doria Ragland could be heard FaceTiming her and speaking to her daughter for a few seconds as she was recording the show from her Montecito home in California.
Meghan greets her with “Hey Mommy” and Ms Ragland can be heard saying: “Hey. How’s my girl?”
The duchess replies: “I’m okay. I’m hanging in there. It’s okay. I’m recording right now. Do you want to see?”
As they chat, Ms Ragland says: “You have on a smiley face.”
The pair tell each other they love one another and Meghan’s mother signs off by clicking her fingers in a handshake Meghan taught her when she was eight, which she describes as “snap, scissors, cut, chicken wing”.
