The mother of two, 43, and her husband Prince Harry, 39, have been on a four-day tour of Colombia that has seen them take part in an art session and planting trees during a visit to a school in the capital of Bogota.
Speaking on a panel at an event called ‘Afro-Descendant Women and Power: Voices of Equity’ on the last day of the couple’s Colombia tour, Meghan revealed she has tried to encourage her daughter, Princess Lilibet, 3, to be heard.
“I think part of the role-modelling that I certainly try to do as a mother is to encourage our daughter, who at three, has found her voice.”
She added: “We’re so proud of that, because that is how we, as I was saying, create the conditions in which there’s a ripple effect of young girls and young women knowing that someone else is encouraging them to use their voice and be heard.”
She also credited her mother for informing her approach to her work on empowerment.
“I find inspiration in the strong women around me, of course my mother being one of them,” she said.
“So much of how I approach things is less about the fight, and more about how do we show up in a space and wash things over with love and kindness and generosity.”
The Duchess also began her speech with some remarks in Spanish, apologising for her rusty delivery, saying she had ‘learnt 20 years ago in Argentina’.
As the pair visited San Basilio de Palenque outside Cartagena – established as the first free African town in the Americas in 1619 – Meghan said she was “so honoured” to include the spot on their visit.
She added the community had an “incredible history”, while Harry hailed it as an “incredibly moving experience”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were greeted with a performance of the Colombian national anthem by students before taking in speeches and performances from Palenque’s community leaders.
They also toured a lively street market during their walk through the town.
In a speech thanking the couple for their visit, Vice President Francia Màrquez said: “I wanted them to come here and discover the essence of who we are – our spirituality, our music, our culture and our ancestral heritage that is still very much alive today.
“In the midst of adversity, this is what has helped us continue to be resilient. Palenque is in the heart of every Afro-Colombian.”
The Sussexes also addressed the group that gathered for their visit in both Spanish and the town’s indigenous language of Palenquero.
Manuel Perez Salinas, a tour guide who showed the pair around, told The Daily Telegraph he chatted with them about their cultural identity and showed them a statue of the town’s founder Benkos Bioho.
Another tour guide, Juan Manuel Márquez Padilla, told the Telegraph when he said he wanted “racial discrimination to end”, Harry told him: “We’re working on that.”
He added: “I liked them because they’re working for human rights.”
