Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are hands on parents, encouraging their children to love reading, cooking and more. In the second episode of the Duchess of Sussex's show, With Love, Meghan, she revealed another of their favourite pastimes – and that's gardening!
When organising a pretend children's party to show off her skills, Meghan said: "If there's a garden theme let's really go with it and inspire them to get their hands in the dirt, grow something, watch it grow."
She popped mini gardening tools into gift bags and added: "Our kids have real sets, they take their gardening very seriously. I think it's nice to give kids seeds that they can plant. Things that they can watch grow easily and pick from, like sugar snap peas and basil."
Child development expert Dr Amanda Gummer, who is the founder of FUNdamentally Children and the Good Play Guide, has praised Harry and Meghan's parenting in a chat with HELLO!, citing that "making chores feel like play" is a great technique.
"Getting kids involved in household tasks is a fantastic way to support their development while making chores feel like play. Gardening helps children build responsibility, patience, and a sense of accomplishment as they see their efforts grow - literally! It also nurtures fine motor skills, coordination, and an early understanding of science and nature," says Amanda.
She continues: "Spending time outdoors and engaging with plants can boost mental well-being, encourage healthy eating, and provide valuable family bonding time. Getting children involved in meal preparation or laundry can also be fun and educational - look for ways to make tasks into a game, for example, playing find the matching socks when sorting clothes, or making veggies into patterns on the plate. Turning everyday tasks into playful, hands-on experiences helps children develop life skills while having fun."
In episode five of Meghan's hit show, she reveals that her daughter Lilibet also likes to cook with her mama at their gorgeous home. When serving her trending strawberry preserve, the Duchess revealed: "Lili and I actually made this batch together. She picked all those berries with me, and then she's like: 'No, no mama I’ll do it' and she wants to try, she's like 'I'll stir it, I'll mash it'." "She's proud," Meghan concluded as a photo of her little one and her strawberry basket popped up on screen.
Shared pastime
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet's cousins across the pond, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis also enjoy getting involved with tasks with their royal parents.
During the late Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, the trio joined in with their mother to bake treats in the kitchen. Charlotte was seen cracking an egg while the icing of the cakes was an all-hands-on-deck effort.
In Prince William's ITV documentary Prince William: A Planet For Us All, his children's love for the great outdoors was showcased. In a clip, the trio were seen getting stuck into gardening, which is a popular royal pastime.
The King's influence
© GettyKing Charles likes to get his grandson George into gardening. "The most important thing is I got him planting a tree or two here, so we planted it together and shovelled in the earth.
"That's the way I think, when you are very small, and then each time they come you say, 'Do you see how much the tree has grown?', or whatever, and you hope that they take an interest," he said.
