Samir Hussein/WireImage
Meghan MarkleandPrince Harryhave found their rhythm living in California with their children,Prince ArchieandPrincess Lilibet, and the chapter began with what Harry called the “freedom flight” five years ago today.
In a home video shared in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 2022 Netflix docuseriesHarry & Meghan, Prince Harry described their flight from Canada to Los Angeles on March 14, 2020 as the “freedom flight.” Harry, Meghan and Archie had been staying on Vancouver Island as the couple stepped back from their working royal roles in the U.K., a decision theyannouncedthat January.
“Good morning. It’s 6 a.m. on the 14th of March, and we are on the freedom flight. We are leaving Canada, and we are headed to Los Angeles,” the Duke of Sussex, 40, said in the selfie-style video shared in the docuseries, which was featured in anofficial trailerfor the show. “Shh,” he said, raising a finger to his lips.
“Grandma’s here,” Harry said, panning the camera to Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, on the private plane with them. “Pula’s here with a ball in her mouth,” he said, showing the family’s Labrador and their beagle,Guy(whose death Meghan announced in January).
“Archie, say hi,” Meghan said in the footage from the flight before she gave her then-10-month-old son (now 5) a kiss on the head. “We’re about to go where Mommy is from.”
Turning the camera to speak again, Harry explained that they were on the move thanks to a friend who wanted to help.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their “freedom flight” to the U.S.A.Netflix
Netflix
“This is the current situation thanks to another amazing friend who we’ve never met but who believes in us and wants to help,” Prince Harry said in the intimate video shared inHarry & Meghan. He was referring to directorTyler Perry, who offered his Beverly Hills home to the family as they got settled in the U.S. in Meghan’s home state of California.
Later, the couple would ask Perry to be the godfather of their daughterPrincess Lilibet, now 3, who was born in California in 2021. While appearing inHarry & Meghan, Perry said he was “absolutely honored” when they asked him to be Lilibet’s godfather.
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Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; Tyler Perry.Kevin Mazur/Getty; Monica Schipper/Getty
Kevin Mazur/Getty; Monica Schipper/Getty
Harry wrote inSparethat he and his wife contacted theMadeacreator after he reached out to Meghan “telling her she wasn’t alone” before the 2018 royal wedding, and he recounted how they relayed to him that it felt like there was nowhere to go. The World Health Organization declared that the coronavirus outbreak was a global pandemic in March 2020, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wanted to leave Canada before the country closed its borders.
“Look…take my house,” Harry wrote inSparethat Perry said then. “My house in Los Angeles. It’s gated, it’s secure — you’ll be safe there. I’ll keep you safe.”
Prince Harry, Meghan, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie in the family’s 2024 holiday card.Archewell
Archewell
“After your mother visited Harlem, that was it. She could do no wrong in Maxine Perry’s book,” the Duke of Sussex quoted the director as saying. Princess Diana’strip to New York Cityin 1989 was her first solo overseas trip as a working royal and included a memorable stop at the AIDS unit of Harlem Hospital, connecting to her wider work of smashing stigmas around the disease.
Prince Harry and Meghan accepted Perry’s offer to use his home as they settled in the U.S., with the Duke of Sussex likening it to a Xanadu-like paradise. Meghan, 43, further revealed in a 2022 interview withThe Cutthat the celebrated director later gave them agrand pianoas a housewarming gift for their Montecito home, telling them, “Write the soundtrack for your life.”
Speaking to PEOPLE in this week’sexclusive cover storyabout rediscovering herself beyond motherhood, the challenges of building a business and her private world with her family, the Duchess of Sussex reflects on the past five years since the move and how much is different.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex photographed in Montecito, California, in March 2024.
“Five years ago, Archie was only 8 or 9 months old, so my life has changed so much,” she says, recounting her motherhood journey of welcoming a newborn, being pregnant while raising a toddler and raising both Archie and Lili. “Anyone who has children will tell you, it’s a huge evolution as a woman during that time.”
As she looks ahead to the next five or even 10 years, she’s open to what’s to come.
“Can you imagine? This is just the beginning. Life is full of surprises,” Meghan says. “And my gosh, in 10 years, Archie will be driving!”
As Meghan embraces her entrepreneurial pursuits (unveiling lifestyle brandAs everand Netflix seriesWith Love, Meghanin recent weeks), the couple continues their work with the Archewell Foundation as Harry focuses on his philanthropic commitments.
“I imagine that it’s the same as it would be for any couple,” Meghan tells PEOPLE. “You have your individual jobs, but then you have things that you share together.”
source: people.com
