Though Meghan Markle, Duchess
of Sussex, has seemingly fallen out of favor with the U.K. public, she and her
husband, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, were greeted with a surprising reaction
from crowds on Saturday.
The duo joined the newly
appointed Prince of Wales, Prince William, and Princess of Wales, Catherine
Middleton, outside of Windsor Castle. The famous foursome walked around the
outskirts of the castle to read heartfelt messages left for the late Queen
Elizabeth II following her heartbreaking death on September 8. They spoke with
royal fans who were lined up behind barricades and stopped to receive gifts,
flowers, and other mementos from the onlookers.
For Meghan, Duchess of Sussex,
the interactions outside of Windsor Castle were particularly moving when she
publicly hugged a fan. According to a report from CNN, the teenager apparently
extended the warm welcome to Meghan for one specific reason.
In a clip reposted by Philip
Lewis on Twitter, the 14-year-old said that she “looked up to her in some
ways,” and she wanted to hug Meghan so the duchess knew she was
“welcome here” in the United Kingdom.
Given the backlash the
California native has received since stepping down as a senior working royal,
the gesture of kindness was met with equally sweet sentiments on the social
media app.
As one user stated, “That
hug was the first time I’ve teared up throughout this whole thing. Meghan
hugged her so tight you could tell that kindness meant so much to her.”
