Meghan Markle Opens Up About How Being Archie's Mom Made Her "Cautious" & "Courageous"

Motherhood has been a real journey for Meghan Markle, who recently said being Archie's mom has made her both more "courageous" more "cautious" with every decision she makes.

This week, the Duchess of Sussex sat down for a virtual interview for Fortune's Next Generation Summit and spoke about how motherhood has changed her outlook on life. Fortune associate editor Emma Hinchcliffe asked Markle how raising her 18-month-old son Archie has affected her decisions. "For you, how has motherhood changed how you think about leadership? Has it made you more courageous or more cautious? And are you making decisions with more of an eye towards future generations?"

Markle responded that it was a little bit of both. "My gut is that it makes you more courageous," she said. "It makes you so concerned for the world they're going to inherit. And so the things you're able to tolerate on your own are not the same that you are going to put your child in a position of vulnerability for. You go every single day, 'How can I make this better for him? How can I make this world better for Archie?' And that is a shared belief between my husband and I."

While parenthood has brought out bravery in both Markle and her husband Prince Harry, she also admitted it has made her more cautious about "putting my family in a position of risk by certain things." The Duchess of Sussex added that she tries "to not make it controversial but instead to talk about things that seem really straightforward. Like exercising your right to vote."

Since welcoming Archie in May 2019, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have undergone enormous efforts to protect their son's privacy. They stepped away from their senior royal roles in January, moved to the west coast of Canada before eventually settling in their new home in Montecito, California. They even won an apology in court from a photographer who took photos of their son without their permission in Los Angeles over the summer, as Elle reported.

As she put it, motherhood has made Markle both courageous and cautious. Both happy to enjoy the "fun and silliness and games with my son" while also trying to feel "proud of myself as a mom" by doing her part to make it "a better place for him," as she said in the Fortune interview.

In other words, Meghan Markle's role of motherhood is actually many different roles with many different goals. And this is the truest thing about parenting no matter who you are.