If all goes to plan, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won’t be having many more children together. The Duke of Sussex told Dr. Jane Goodall in the September issue of British Vogue that he and Markle will have “maximum” two kids.
Harry and Goodall spoke about reserving the planet for the next generation, with Harry saying, “We are the one species on this planet that seems to think that this place belongs to us, and only us.” Goodall agreed that humans will continue to feud over resources until something changes, pointing out that the “terrifying” state of the world has likely intensified for Harry since welcoming Archie in May.
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“Well, it does make a difference, doesn’t it?” Goodall asked.
“It does make it different,” Harry replied. “I think, weirdly, because of the people that I’ve met and the places that I’ve been fortunate enough to go to, I’ve always had a connection and a love for nature. I view it differently now, without question. But I’ve always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children…”
“Not too many!” Goodall interjected, laughing.
“Two, maximum!” Harry agreed. “But I’ve always thought: This place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation.”
Goodall was not surprised that Harry’s interest in conserving the planet increased after becoming a father. “We talked about Roots and Shoots and I said, ‘Of course you’re interested now, you have a baby,’ and he said, ‘Of course!’” she said of a prior meeting they had for her Roots and Shoots organization. “When you bring a child into the world, you have to worry about the future. If we don’t’ make change, we don’t have a future. It’s as simple as that.”
Harry’s thinking on the matter dates back to even before Markle’s pregnancy. In July 2018, he brushed off a suggestion that they should follow in the footsteps of a well wisher in Ireland and have five children.
“My husband also has red hair and he gave me five children — when are you and Meghan going to get going?” Elaine Adam-Stewart, 43, asked him. She told PEOPLE that in response, Harry “laughed and said, ‘Five children? Too many.’”
During Goodall’s visit to Harry and Markle’s Frogmore Cottage home, the famous primatologist even got to meet Archie. “He’s very cute and very gentle,” Goodall told reporters.
Markle guest-edited the September issue of British Vogue, writing in her editor’s letter that she worked on the project for months.
“I was about five months pregnant when this process began, and by the time you hold this issue in your hands, my husband and I will be holding our three-month-old baby boy in ours,” she wrote. “It’s a very special time for me personally, on so many levels; working with Edward and his team, both during my pregnancy and my maternity leave, has played no small part in that joy – it has been a privilege to be welcomed and supported by this amazing team.”
