Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Will Spend the Next ‘Several Months’ on Parental Leave

Alyssa Bailey
·2 min read
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced on Sunday the happy news that they’ve welcomed their second child, daughter Lilibet “Lili” Diana. At the very end of their announcement post on Archewell, the organization included a line stating that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are both now on parental leave.

“While the Duke and Duchess are on parental leave, Archewell will continue to do important work and publish stories on the site,” the organization wrote. “We look forward to seeing you!”

So how long will Meghan and Harry be out of the public eye? All summer, at the very least, and up to 20 weeks at their non-profit Archewell. That’s roughly five months, so they would resume work again in October or November at the latest.

Royal reporter Omid Scobie shared insight about the Sussexes’ parental leave on Good Morning America yesterday. Harry taking a longer parental leave sets an example, he shared: “We’re so used to seeing royal men heading back to work almost the next day—sometimes, the same day. We’ve seen senior royals on engagements almost the same time as the birth,” Scobie said. “But Harry and Meghan are sort of leading by example with their Archewell foundation. They offer up to 20 weeks of parental leave for mother and father. They’re doing exactly the same, so it’ll be several months off work for the pair of them.”

Meghan and Harry making public appearances this summer isn’t guaranteed, but far from out of the question. After their first child Archie’s birth, Meghan attended the London The Lion King premiere (where she met Beyoncé) and a baseball game with Prince Harry during her maternity leave, for example.

The Duke of Sussex is expected to be in London this July for the Princess Diana statue unveiling, set to happen on July 1. The couple will not be at this Saturday’s Trooping of the Colour though, unsurprising as their daughter just arrived last Friday, June 4.

A source close to the Sussexes confirmed to ELLE.com earlier this month that the Duke and Duchess will not be in the U.K. this June.

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