An interaction between Meghan Markle and a young admirer has been praised by fans after footage from a 2019 royal engagement with Prince Harry resurfaced on social-media site TikTok.
Following her marriage to King Charles III’s younger son in 2018, Meghan undertook two years of royal engagements. She worked with a number of charities and went on official visits on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II and the U.K. Government.
During these engagements, the duchess met with crowds and well-wishers, many of whom she interacted with during what are known in Britain as “royal walkabouts.” This is where members of the royal family take time to stop and meet members of the public who turned out to support them at events.
Meghan’s brief but impactful career as a working royal has been pulled into public focus in recent years, following the duchess’ split from the monarchy with Prince Harry in 2020, and their move to the U.S.
Since this, the couple have continued to undertake public philanthropic work, but in a private capacity, separate from the monarchy.
Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images/Karwai Tang/WireImage
The couple have a loyal fanbase online, with a number of social-media accounts posting throwback clips and images that quickly go viral.
One of the latest of these posts, uploaded by TikTok user queen.281022 on February 10, shows Meghan and Harry meeting young fans during an engagement at the Canadian High Commission in London in 2019.
The couple were invited to meet the high commissioner as part of the annual Commonwealth Day celebrations in London. They also attended a special church service at Westminster Abbey in the English capital to mark the day alongside other senior royals.
Meghan was pregnant at the time of the visit with her first child, Prince Archie. Her ties with Canada were unique among the royal family, having lived in the country for several years before her marriage while filming the hit legal TV drama Suits.
Captioned “She’s the cutest,” the viral footage shows Meghan bend down to meet a small girl at eye level who presented her with a special bouquet of flowers outside the High Commission building.
Cameras also caught the moment a small boy also presented her with a bouquet while offering a chivalrous bow.
The clip has received over 924,000 views on TikTok in 48 hours and has also received in excess of 12,900 likes and 410 comments, many of which have praised the duchess and discussed her absence from royal life today.
“A real princess moment for a real princess,” wrote one user, adding: “Sad we didn’t see more of her in this role.”
“Meghan is so queenly I swear. UK must miss her. She has elegance and class,” posted another, with a further comment reading: “I don’t care what anyone says I like them.”
After their initial split from the monarchy, Harry and Meghan made Canada their temporary home, living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia before moving to California, where they reside today with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.