Prince Harry is opening up about fatherhood ahead of the spring arrival of his first child with Meghan Markle.
The Duke of Sussex addressed his pending parenthood when speaking at the Commonwealth Youth Roundtable at Lancaster House in London on Wednesday, where he gave a moving speech about the Commonwealth’s youth and their importance in the community.
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“As someone who is about to become a father, I am acutely aware of our shared responsibility to make this world more resilient and its inhabitants more accountable for the next generation,” he said, according to Entertainment Tonight. “The only way to see real progress is not by chance, it’s by change.”
Harry, who took in the role of Commonwealth Youth Ambassador last spring, went on to speak of the Commonwealth countries he and Markle had recently visited during their first international tour as newlyweds. The trip took them to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand.
“In all of these places, it’s been incredibly humbling to see how young people like yourselves are creating innovative and clever solutions to the diverse challenges you face — whether it be better mental health for everyone, eradicating extreme poverty and improving access to education for girls, or highlighting the very real effects and daily battles of climate change,” he continued.
The Duke, a longtime advocate of mental health, also spoke on the importance of the topic in relation to the world as a whole.
“All health is interconnected — our mental health, our planet’s health, the health of our communities,” he said. “We do no survive, and certainly do not thrive without the acknowledgment and understanding that in addressing one problem, we are paradoxically solving another.”
Markle and Harry announced in October, just months after they had tied the knot in St. George’s Chapel, that they are expecting their first child together. Since that initial announcement, the royal couple has been smitten with their little prince or princess on the way, and Wednesday’s speech was not Harry’s first time mentioning his and Markle’s baby or fatherhood.
During his Commonwealth tour, which the couple embarked on just after making the announcement that they were expecting, the Duke spoke about the topic while in Sydney and later at the Invictus Games Sydney Opening Ceremony, stating “we have been so happy to be able to celebrate the personal joy of our newest addition with you all.”
The royal couple, currently busy preparing for their arrival at Frogmore Cottage, are expected to welcome their little one around April.
