Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Get Royal Welcome During Rare Red Carpet Date Night in Jamaica
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a surprise red carpet appearance at the Jan. 23 premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica. For their date night, Meghan opted long black gown that featured a billowing skirt, while Harry looked dapper in a navy suit paired with a white button-up top.
The outing marks a journey back to Jamaica for the couple. In March 2017, Meghan and Harry traveled down to Montego Bay for his best friend Tom Inskip‘s wedding to Lara Hughes-Young.
Their latest trip to Caribbean island nation is their first public outing of 2024. The duo were last spotted taking in a Vancouver Canucks game on Nov. 20, with Harry dropping the ceremonial puck at the start of the match.
Since stepping back from their duties as senior royals in 2020, the duke and duchess have spent their time working on causes close to their hearts—such as Harry’s Invictus Games—and raising kids Archie, 4, and daughter Lilibet, 2, in California.
The Suits star also shared a glimpse mom life during the 2023 Invictus Games in September. Explaining her delayed arrival to the festivities, Meghan told the crowd, “I had to just spend a little bit more time getting our little ones settled home.”
“It is so special to be here,” she added, “and I’m so sorry that I was a little late for the party.”
Keep reading for more on Meghan and Harry’s home life.
Getty Images“I don’t think you can force these things. It will happen when it’s gonna happen,” he told Sky News back in 2015 when asked if the birth of his niece Princess Charlotte made him think about settling down. “Of course, I would love to have kids right now, but there’s a process that one has to go through.”
Alex Trautwig/MLB via Getty ImagesPlanning for Her Little One
Years ago, Meghan even made a purchase with her future daughter in mind. “I’ve always coveted the Cartier French Tank watch. When I found out Suits had been picked up for our third season—which, at the time, felt like such a milestone—I totally splurged and bought the two-tone version,” she recalled to Hello! in 2015. “I had it engraved on the back, ‘To M.M. From M.M.’ and I plan to give it to my daughter one day.”
Getty ImagesFatherhood is a subject that—along with marriage—has long trailed Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana‘s younger son. “There have been moments through life, especially when we do a tour abroad, when I think, ‘I’d love to have kids now’… And then there are other times when I bury my head in the sand going, ‘All right, don’t need kids!’ There’s no rush. I tell you what: There’s been times I’ve been put off having children,” he admitted to People back in May 2016, shortly before meeting his future wife.
REX/ShutterstockIn 2017, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their engagement and sat for their first joint interview. Naturally, the topic of future kids came up. “Of course. You know, I think you know one step at a time, and hopefully, we’ll start a family in the near future,” Prince Harry said at the time with Meghan smiling beside him.
Facundo Arrizabalaga/AP/REX/Shutterstock“It’s magic,” Meghan said about becoming a mum following Archie’s birth. “It’s pretty amazing and, I mean, I have the two best guys in the world, so I’m really happy.”
Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesProud Pops
Following Archie’s birth in May 2019, Harry gushed, “It’s been the most amazing experience I can ever possibly imagine. How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension but we’re both absolutely thrilled and so grateful for all the love and support from everybody out there. It’s been amazing so we just wanted to share this with everybody.”
Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP/REX/ShutterstockHarry reflected on the lessons he’s learned since becoming a parent during a speech at the National Youth Mentoring Summit in 2019. He shared, “I’m struck by a few things today, most of which is the power of the invisible role model. The person who may be sitting here today that doesn’t realize that someone looks up to them that—for that person—you inspire them to be kinder, better, greater, more successful, more impactful. Perhaps it’s the newfound clarity I have as a father knowing that my son will always be watching what I do, mimicking my behavior, one day maybe even following in my footsteps.”
Toby Melville/Pool/Samir Hussein/WireImageDoting on Archie
“Our little man is our No. 1 priority but then our work after that is the second priority,” Prince Harry shared during a speaking engagement in 2020, “and we’re just doing everything we can to try and play our part in trying to make the world a better place.”
ShutterstockHarry and Meghan found a silver lining amid the coronavirus pandemic through baby Archie. “In so many ways we are fortunate to be able to have this time to watch him grow, and in the absence of COVID, we would be traveling and working more externally,” Meghan shared in October 2020. “We’d miss a lot of those moments. So I think it’s been a lot of really good family time.”
Harry added, “We were both there for Archie’s first steps, his first run, his first fall, everything.”
Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty ImagesIn May 2021, Meghan made a rare TV appearance during Global Citizen’s VAX Live: The Concert to Reunite the World special. The former actress opened up about her pregnancy and shared her excitement about raising a daughter. “My husband and I are thrilled to soon be welcoming a daughter. It’s a feeling of joy we share with millions of other families around the world,” she said at the time. “When we think of her, we think of all the young women and girls around the globe who must be given the ability and the support to lead us forward.”
She added, “Their future leadership depends on the decisions we make and the actions we take now to set them up, and set all of us up, for a successful, equitable and compassionate tomorrow.”
Apple TV+Meghan makes a brief cameo in her husband’s Apple TV+ series with Oprah, The Me You Can’t See. During her appearance, the California native seemingly pays tribute to her growing family with a shirt that reads, “Raising the Future.”
Chris Jackson-Pool/Getty ImagesParty of Four!
The couple welcomed their baby girl. In a statement shared on their Archewell Foundation page, they gushed, “On June 4th, we were blessed with the arrival of our daughter, Lili. She is more than we could have ever imagined, and we remain grateful for the love and prayers we’ve felt from across the globe. Thank you for your continued kindness and support during this very special time for our family.”
Toby Melville – Pool/Getty ImagesOn June 8, 2021, Meghan will release her first children’s book, The Bench, which is a celebration of fatherhood from a mother’s perspective. Of her new project, she said in a press release in May, “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story.”
