Duchess Meghan says it's 'good to be home' after years abroad
Duchess Meghan and her family relocated to the West Coast amid a period of great turmoil for the country, though she said Friday, "It's good to be home."
In a conversation with The 19th co-founder Emily Ramshaw, the Duchess of Sussex reflected on her homecoming, which occurred amid the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor earlier this year.
Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, announced in January that they were planning to step down as "working members" of the royal family and relocate with their son Archie, now 15 months, to North America. About two months later, they moved to her hometown of Los Angeles, California.
"In the weeks after the murder of George Floyd, in the peaceful protests that you were seeing, in the voices that were coming out, in the way that people were actually owning their role... in the discrimination of other people, specifically of the Black community, [my feeling] shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration, because I can see that the tide is turning," she said.
"From my standpoint, it's not new to see this undercurrent of racism and certainly unconscious bias, but I think to see the changes that are being made right now is really -- it's something I look forward to being a part of," she added. "And being a part of using my voice in a way that I haven't been able to of late. So, yeah, it's good to be home."
Last month, Meghan, 39, and Harry, 35, moved to a new home in Santa Barbara, "Good Morning America" confirmed. A spokesperson for the couple said that the couple "settled into the quiet privacy of their community since their arrival and hope that this will be respected for their neighbors, as well as for them as a family."
Since returning to the United States, Meghan — who lived in Canada for years before her time in the United Kingdom — has kept a low profile, though she did deliver a commencement address in June to the graduates of her alma mater, Immaculate Heart High School. Urging the class of 2020 to "lead with love," "lead with compassion" and to "use your voice," she also acknowledged the "absolutely devastating" times the country was facing and shared a realization she had as a result of the nationwide discussion around police brutality and racial inequality: "The only wrong thing to say is to say nothing," she said. She also encouraged her audience "be part of rebuilding."
"You are equipped, you are ready, we need you and you are prepared," she said. "Please know that I am cheering you on all along the way, I am exceptionally proud of you and I'm wishing you a huge congratulations on today, the start of all the impact you're going to make in the world as the leaders that we all so deeply crave."
