Above the Storm, the Sun’s Always Shining

Meghan Markle recently opened up about a piece of advice her husband, Prince Harry, shared with her years ago that she says continues to help her navigate difficult moments in life.

The Duchess of Sussex made the comments during a premiere and question-and-answer event for her and Harry’s documentary film “Cookie Queens,” according to a report from People magazine. During the event, an audience member asked Markle how she copes with the tough moments life inevitably brings.

In her response, Markle described drawing on something Harry had told her long before, rooted in his years of military service. “Funny enough, I was thinking about something my husband told me ages ago, because we all go through experiences and life is full of surprises, but you know, he was a helicopter pilot in the British Army for 10 years,” Markle said. “And sometimes on really hard days … he said, ‘Hey, but my love, you know, even if there’s a storm happening, above the storm, the sun’s always shining.’”

Harry served as an Apache helicopter pilot during a decade-long military career with the British Army, including two deployments to Afghanistan. That military background has continued to inform how he approaches challenges even years after leaving active service, according to Markle’s account of the advice he shared with her.

Markle and Harry married in 2018 in a ceremony held at Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom, and the couple shares two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. In January 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back from official royal duties, relocating to California, where they have built out a range of business and media ventures in the years since.

Harry has more recently made efforts to repair his relationship with his family in the United Kingdom following the couple’s departure from royal life. Markle and Harry traveled to Britain with their children for events tied to the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick servicemembers and veterans that Harry founded in 2014. During the same trip, the couple held a private meeting with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, marking the first time the king and queen had seen their grandchildren in four years.

Markle has also continued to build her public media presence in recent months, including a recent appearance as a guest judge on “MasterChef Australia,” where she set contestants a challenge to prepare dishes she described as “fit for a Duchess.” During the taping, Harry called into the show despite his own schedule, and the couple discussed the competition together on air, with Markle noting that Harry would have enjoyed several of the dishes the contestants prepared, a moment that drew smiles from those present.

The “Cookie Queens” documentary, which was the subject of the event where Markle shared Harry’s advice, adds to a growing slate of media projects the couple has developed since relocating to the United States, building on ventures that have included Markle’s Netflix lifestyle series “With Love, Meghan” and her lifestyle brand, As Ever, which she relaunched earlier this year.

Markle’s willingness to share personal reflections on coping with hardship comes as the couple has continued to navigate significant public scrutiny in the years since stepping back from royal duties, including ongoing questions about Harry’s UK security arrangements and periodic tension in his relationship with other members of the royal family. Even amid those continued pressures, both Markle and Harry have described their relationship as a source of mutual support, with Markle’s recent comments underscoring the emotional grounding she says Harry’s perspective, shaped by his own military experience, has continued to offer her during difficult periods.

The couple’s recent UK visit and reported meeting with King Charles and Camilla have been widely covered as part of a broader narrative of gradually thawing relations between Harry and the royal family following years of public tension that followed the couple’s 2020 departure from official duties and the subsequent publication of Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in 2023, which included pointed criticism of several family members.

As Markle continues to balance her expanding media and business ventures with her family life in California, her recent comments about leaning on Harry’s advice during hard times offer a rare glimpse into how the couple has navigated the personal challenges that have accompanied their high-profile and, at times, turbulent transition away from formal royal life over the past several years.