Meghan Markle has shared the harrowing incident when a fire broke out in her son Archie’s nursery while the family was on tour in South Africa.
The podcast Archetypes debuted today, August 23, with Meghan as the first guest.
During the podcast, Meghan recounts to Serena Williams the shocking moment when she was informed about the fire in Archie’s nursery in 2019.
While visiting the South African township of Nyaga, Meghan and Harry received the distressing news about the fire in their baby’s room.
Meghan had just finished delivering a speech when she received the unsettling update.
Upon returning home, they found their nanny, Lauren, in tears.
Meghan recounts, “The moment we landed, we had to drop off Archie at this housing unit they had arranged for us. He was about to go down for his nap.”
“We immediately went to an official engagement in the township of Nyanga. I was giving a speech to women and girls while standing on a tree stump…”
“After finishing the engagement and getting in the car, we were informed about the fire in the baby’s room at our residence.”
She adds, “We returned, and our nanny Lauren was in floods of tears. She was supposed to put Archie down for his nap, but decided to get a snack downstairs first.”
“In that time, the heater in the nursery caught on fire. There was no smoke detector. Fortunately, someone detected the smoke and extinguished the fire.”
“As a mother, the situation was terrifying. Everyone was shaken, and we had to proceed with another official engagement,” Meghan said.
She expressed her concern about the focus being on appearances rather than emotions. “Part of breaking through these labels and boxes is to have understanding of the human moments behind the scenes and to give each other a break. We had to leave our baby.”
In the 57-minute show, Meghan and Serena discuss the double standard women face when labeled ‘ambitious’. The episode also includes conversations with gender expert Dr. Laura Kray.
