Meghan Markle has revealed some of the sweet family habits she and husband Prince Harry practice on their children.
“The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is play music in my house,” she said during a conversation with her best friend Courtney Adamo at Godmothers Bookstore in Montecito, Calif., on Wednesday.
Markle added that she also brings a portable speaker along with scented candles when she travels to play music and create a positive environment.
“I always travel with candles,” the Duchess of Sussex, 44, explained. “I’m very sensitive and sensitive to scent, so I associate it with home.”
Markle spoke with lifestyle blogger Adamo to promote her new book, The Family Home: Inspiring Ideas For A Home Filled With Joy.
She said one of the tips from the book she uses with her children (Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4) is the “Roses and Thorns” ritual to elicit more than a “yes or no” answer to a question.
“Our daughter, she’s four years old, she’s such a strong character and she’s incredible,” Markle exclaimed. “And now she’s in a moment where I say, ‘What’s your rose and what’s your thorn?’ And she says, ‘My day was really good.’
Another ritual she and Prince Harry share with their children is a “healing blanket,” a gift from the bookstore’s co-founder, Victoria Jackson.
When one of your children is feeling unwell, reach for the “comfort blanket” to comfort them.
Markle first met Adamo in college, when they belonged to the same sorority at Northwestern University.
The “Suits” alum said she and Adamo were scheduled to return to Chicago from Los Angeles on 9/11.
“In the end, the two of us ended up driving 30 hours over three days, 10 hours a day. We traveled together from Los Angeles to Chicago during one of the most vulnerable and tender moments in this country,” she said, adding that the trip made her realize the importance of “community.”
After the speech, a reception was held on the bookstore’s patio, where Markle served a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from her company’s As Ever wine line.
