Prince Harry Reveals Why He and Meghan Markle Won’t Have More Children: ‘Two Is It!'

Prince Harry has been vocal about rushing into his marriage with Meghan Markle to start a family. Despite his wife’s repeated assertions of her love for motherhood, Harry has made it clear he doesn't wish to have more kids. In an interview, the Duke once revealed that he only wanted two children, driven by a sense of environmental responsibility.

Back in July 2019, a year after marrying Markle, Harry interviewed anthropologist Jane Goodall for Vogue Magazine and discussed the rapid depletion of natural resources. As reported by Harper’s Bazaar, Goodall said, “It is terrifying. Especially as you've just had a baby,” referring to then-two-month-old Prince Archie. Harry answered, “But I've always wanted to try and ensure that, even before having a child and hoping to have children.” He stressed, “Two, maximum!... This place is borrowed. And, surely, being as intelligent as we all are, or as evolved as we all are supposed to be, we should be able to leave something better behind for the next generation.”

Luckily for Harry, Markle seems to be on the same page about having two children. During their infamous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry told the veteran host that he was grateful to have children. As per Hello! magazine, he said, “Any, one or two, would have been amazing, but to have a boy and then a girl, what more can you ask for?....we got the four of us and our two dogs.” Markle, who had suffered a miscarriage before, was pregnant with Princess Lilibet at the time of the interview. Agreeing to her husband’s statement, she replied, “Two, is it!” The Duke and Duchess revealed their second pregnancy on Valentine's Day 2021, with two photographs taken by their photographer, Misan Harriman.

The Duke of Sussex has also previously joked about not wanting too many kids. As per People magazine, during a royal tour in Ireland, a fan named Elaine Adam-Stewart asked Harry, “My husband also has red hair and he gave me five children — when are you and Meghan going to get going?” The Duke laughed and replied, “Five children? — too many.” According to royal editor Rebecca English, Harry was clear from the beginning about his baby plans. English wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Simon Weston spoke to Harry today, who joked about the Wales/England rugby. 'I warned him and the Duchess, it serves him right, as they will be getting plenty of sleepless nights when the baby is born. He said if they have any more than two, it will serve him right.'’

Harry has always expressed his desire to have a family with Markle. He wrote in his memoir, Spare, “We both wanted to start a family straightaway. We were working crazy hours, our jobs were demanding, and the timing wasn’t ideal, but too bad. This had always been our main priority.” It is also reported that the Sussexes rushed into their marriage because Markle’s ‘biological clock was ticking,’ as she was 36 at the time.