How Meghan Markle Found Community in U.S. After Leaving Royal Duties

Meghan Markle shed light on how she found a community after she and husband Prince Harry stepped back from their royal duties.

“I have a couple of girlfriends up here — these are stay-at-home moms and working women with normal jobs, not in the public eye,” the Duchess of Sussex, 43, told People in an interview published on Sunday, March 16. “We went from just connecting through our kids to having girls’ nights out or doing Pilates together.”

Meghan explained that she’s not afraid to make an introduction when she walks into a group fitness class.

“I go to group classes that sometimes have 40 to 50 people in them and just walk in like, ‘Hi!’ ” Meghan said. “Of course, at the beginning, that felt like a lot. By the way, I think anybody walking into a yoga class with 50 people when you’re one of the last people that walk in and everyone looks up, it’s going to feel a little uncomfortable!”

While attending a class without her girlfriends, Meghan was told to share encouragement to the person next to her.

“In the middle of the class they said, ‘Great, tell the person on your mat next to you that they’re doing a great job, give them a fist pump.’ And I looked over and there was someone over there, and I was like (miming a fist bump), ‘Well done!’ and then I looked to the other side and there was someone else and I went, ‘Nicely done! Come on, guys!’” she recalled. “I mean, that’s part of how you connect. I love it. It’s the best. I had missed it. It’s awesome.”

Meghan and Harry, 40, moved to Montecito, California, in 2020, where they are raising their son Archie, 5, and daughter Lilibet, 3. Meghan gushed to the outlet that the community has welcomed her family with open arms.

“Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is,” she said.

Meghan has given fans a glimpse of her family life in her recently released Netflix series, With Love, Meghan. In the eight-part show, Meghan shares lifestyle tips while receiving visits from familiar faces. The streaming platform confirmed to Us Weekly earlier this month that With Love, Meghan will return for season 2.

“Oh, how I love ASMR!” she captioned clips from season 1, while gushing over the news of the show’s return. “If you’re loving Season 1, just wait until you see the fun we cooked up on Season 2! Thanks for joining the party, and an endless thanks to the amazing team and crew who helped bring it all to life! @netflix.”