During a trip to South Africa, Meghan Markle recalled the moment she realized a fire had started in the room her infant son was sleeping in.
On the eagerly anticipated debut of her podcast, the Duchess of Sussex relived the devastating moment she learned the news. The incident had left the workers “shaken” and “in tears,” according to her description.
“As a mother, you go, ‘Oh, my God, what?'” she continued.
In a conversation with her friend and tennis pro Serena Williams on Archetypes, Meghan revealed that in 2019 she and Prince Harry had visited Nyanga, a predominately black suburb of Cape Town.
As soon as we landed, we had to deliver Archie to the housing facility they had arranged for us to stay in. He intended to get ready before settling down for his nap.
“I was standing on a tree stump giving this speech to women and girls at this official engagement in this township called Nyanga,” the speaker recalled.
“We finish the engagement, get in the car, and they tell us there was a fire at the residence,” the Duchess continued. The baby’s room has been damaged by fire.
“We get back, and our amazing nanny Lauren is in floods of tears. Archie was due for a nap, but instead she just said: “You know what? Let me just go downstairs and get a snack.
She added: “In that amount of time that she went downstairs, the heater in the nursery caught on fire.
“No smoke detector was present. Someone entered after smelling smoke down the hallway and put out the fire. He was meant to be resting there.
The Duke and Duchess met anti-apartheid activist Bishop Desmond Tutu during the exciting September trip, which was the first one they had taken together since the birth of Archie Harrison.
They traveled to Nyanga to meet with The Justice Desk, an organization that empowers and teaches self-defense to vulnerable children, many of whom have experienced trauma.
As a mother, you think, Oh, my God, what? Meghan said to Ms. Williams.
Photo: Getty Images
Everyone is sobbing and feeling shaken. What must we do, then? Do another official engagement while you’re out.
The Duchess recalled that they debated telling people what had happened because “the focus ends up being on how it looks instead of how it feels,” but ultimately decided against it.
She stated: “Having some understanding on the human moments behind the scenes that people might not be aware of and to give each other a break is part of the humanizing and the breaking through of these labels, archetypes, and boxes that we’re put into.
