Meghan Markle received a very warm reception from the people in the UK as she accompanied her husband, Prince Harry, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were in the UK when the Queen’s health deteriorated quickly and she passed away.
While Prince Harry and William rushed to their grandmother’s side, Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton stayed back but made an appearance outside Windsor Castle. One particular footage that seemed the capture the emotion of the public towards the Duchess of Sussex was Meghan’s interaction with a young girl that ended in the pair hugging, reported Newsweek.
It was just days after the Queen’s death at the age of 96 and well-wishers had swarmed outside Windsor Castle in England. Among them was 14-year-old Amelka Zak, who like hundreds, had lined up at either side of the road. Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Harry greeted the well-wishers and thanked them for coming to pay their respects to the Queen. A video posted on TikTok by Isabelle Charters (@IzzyChar97) caught their adorable interaction. As Meghan approached Amelka, the young was overwhelmed. “Oh my god, hi!” Meghan asked what her name was and she replied, “Amelka.” Meghan said, “”Ah, beautiful. Thank you for being here. It means so much to the family. We appreciate it.” Meghan then enquires how long she had been waiting there. “Like, two hours,” said Amelka. “Oh goodness,” replies Meghan. “Well, I hope you’ll be able to get back home soon. I appreciate you being here.”
Amelka then asks if she can get a hug from Meghan, who without skipping a beat, replies, “Of course.” The pair shared a deep hug. Charters, who captured the footage, shared it online and wrote, “Meeting Meghan, what a beautiful soul. We love and support you 💜. Media house CNN managed to catch up with teenager to ask her about the experience and Amelka explained that she just wanted to show Meghan Markle that she was welcome, especially given some of the negative media attention. “We were just waiting for her to come, and she came near me and asked my name and how my day was, how long I was waiting,” said Amelka, recalling the interaction. “And I asked her if I could have a hug, and she hugged me back. It was quite an amazing moment. I’m still shaking now.”
Some British media outlets haven’t taken too kindly to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle since they left their roles as senior members of the royal family and moved to California. Their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 also caused a furor after she said she faced racism from a member of the royal family. Amelka made it clear that she was ready to let them know they were always welcome in the UK. She also added that it was nice to see the two brothers and their partners together considering the rumors of the rift between the pair. “It was quite nice to see William and Kate and Megan and Harry together… and it was fine, but I just wanted to show her that she’s welcome here, I guess,” said Amelka. “And wanted to hug her after everything that’s happened, really.” When asked why she reached out to Meghan when she came along and Amelka replied, “because I look up to her in some ways, and it just felt like it was the right thing to do.”
Sources later revealed that security hadn’t expected the couples to take a walk and greet the public. Prince William thought the walkabout to greet the crowds “was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family,” a royal source told PEOPLE. “It’s such an extraordinary historical moment and also a deeply personal one for the family that you’d hope and think that all members of the family would unite and support [the King] especially. And perhaps some of those wounds can be healed in the process,” added the source.
Back on the right side of tik tok
(It’s the hug from another angle. And the convo) pic.twitter.com/IZ5axjCElb
— Lili (*Not the Princess of Montecito) (@SheTweetsSA) September 11, 2022
A 14-year-old was able to hug Meghan Markle, and said she did it to show her that “she’s welcome here” pic.twitter.com/2untm4UIYu
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) September 10, 2022
