Watch: Meghan Markle Hugs Teen Who Made Her Feel 'Welcome' In UK
KEY POINTS
- Meghan Markle embraced a 14-year-old girl while greeting well-wishers outside Windsor Castle Saturday
- The teen said she wanted to make the duchess feel "welcome" in the U.K. after "everything that's happened"
- Prince Harry and Markle reunited with Prince William and Kate Middleton Saturday for a walkabout after Queen Elizabeth's death
Meghan Markle received a warm welcome from some royal fans in the U.K. Saturday.
The Duchess of Sussex joined Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton in greeting local residents outside Windsor Castle and viewing floral tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at age 96.
In a video shared by CNN's Connect The World on Twitter Sunday, Markle can be seen warmly embracing one of the well-wishers, a teenage girl.
The 14-year-old girl told CNN correspondent Scott McLean that she wanted to make Markle feel "welcome" in the U.K. and wanted a hug from her after "everything that's happened," referencing the duchess and Prince Harry's ongoing tension with the royal family.
"It was quite an amazing moment. I can't really explain what the feeling was when she did it, but it was really nice," said the girl, whose name was not revealed.
"I just wanted to at least hug her because I look up to her in some ways and felt it was the right thing to do," she continued, adding that she also sympathized with Markle because of the passing of the Queen and the former "Suits" star's strained relationship with the royal family.
The teen also said that it was "quite nice" to see Markle and Prince Harry appearing alongside Prince William and Middleton as it had been a long time since the four had been seen interacting in public.
The video received positive comments from social media users, who were "proud" of how the brothers set aside their differences to honor their late grandmother and praised the 14-year-old girl for her "maturity."
"It's beautiful to see a family set aside their conflict and be united. Don't you want the best for them ALL? They're a family at the end of the day (and the fighting needed to stop). Life's too short for divisiveness," one user wrote.
Another commented, "So it takes a kind and thoughtful gesture from a 14-year-old to provide an example for adults to emulate. The tabloids should show the same maturity."
Markle and Prince Harry stepped back from their roles as working royals in 2020. Since then, the couple has been living in Montecito, California, with their two children, 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lilibet.
The two couples' Saturday reunion was a rare sighting and came amid a years-long alleged rift between the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales, Page Six reported.
An unnamed source close to the royal family told the outlet that Prince William was the one who initiated the surprise reunion and invited Markle and Prince Harry to join him and his wife on the walkabout.
"We are all very grateful – both sides putting all things aside for the Queen," the source told Page Six exclusively.
Despite the reunion, Markle might not be present for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Sept. 19 at Westminster Abbey in London, former British public affairs official and royal expert Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital.
Markle could decide to return to California ahead of the funeral to be with their young children, she suggested.
"Harry will likely stay in the U.K. until the funeral. I can't imagine Meghan won't attend, but again from a human perspective, Meghan was expecting to leave the kids for six days, not weeks, so [it] may not be possible for her to stay the whole time," Spence said.
However, Hello! magazine's royal editor, Emily Nash, said that both Prince Harry and Markle plan to extend their stay in the U.K. until after Queen Elizabeth's funeral.
"We understand that Harry and Meghan will be staying in the U.K. until after the funeral. It's fair to say that they obviously want to be present for the Queen and pay tribute to her," Nash explained.
Representatives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have yet to confirm Markle's attendance.
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