Meghan Markleis connecting with supporters.
The Duchess of Sussex, 41, joined her husbandPrince Harryand in-lawsPrince WilliamandKate Middletonfor asurprise walkaboutat Windsor Castle on Saturday, two days after the death ofQueen Elizabeth. Touring the deluge of tributes and greeting well-wishers gathered at the gates for about 40 minutes, Meghan warmly hugged a teen girl, who opened up toCNNabout what the gesture meant.
Meghan Markle.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty
“We were just waiting for her to come, and she just came near me and asked my name, and how my day was, how long I as waiting,” the 14-year-old girl said of the moment. “I asked if she could have a hug, and she hugged me back. It was just quite an amazing moment. I’m still shaking now.”
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McLean asked, “Why do you feel a bit of sympathy for her? Just because of the Queen’s passing or because of her relationship with the royal family?”
“I guess both. It was quite nice to see William and Kate and Meghan and Harry together,” she said. “I just wanted to show her that she’s welcome here and wanted to hug her after everything that’s happened.”
Dressed in black, the foursome spoke with onlookers and toured the emotional tributes left for the late monarch, whodied Thursday at age 96.
Kensington Palace says William, 40, invited the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to join him and Kate, 40, who was recentlynamed Princess of Wales, alongside her husband’s newPrince of Wales title.
Meghan Markle.KIRSTY O’CONNOR/POOL/AFP via Getty
Another source adds that security was not expecting both couples at the walkabout.
Prince Williamthought the walkabout to greet the crowds “was an important show of unity at an incredibly difficult time for the family,” a royal source tells PEOPLE.
A palace insider tells 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.”
Meghan Markle.Kirsty O’Connor - WPA Pool/Getty
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The reunion among William, Kate, Harry and Meghan is poignant, as relations have been strained between the California couple and members of the royal family in recent years.
Ina historic first speechafter becoming monarch,King Charles IIIon Friday expressed his “profound sorrow” and gave an emotional tribute to the lateQueen Elizabeth.
From left: Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.James Whatling / MEGA
“This is a time of change for my family,” the new sovereign explained in his inaugural address. With Charles' rise in rank, Harry and Meghan’s children —Archie, 3, andLilibet, 1 — are now sixth and seventh in line to the throne, respectively, following their father.
In a sweet message for his younger son and daughter-in-law, King Charles added, “I want also toexpress my love for Harry and Meghanas they continue to build their lives overseas.”
source: people.com
