Meghan Markle Hugs a Teen Who "Wanted to Show Her That She's Welcome Here"

Meghan Markle shared a sweet moment with a teen while greeting people mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday.

This past weekend, the Duchess of Sussex accompanied Prince Harry, Prince William, and Princess Kate for a walkabout outside Windsor Castle, where throngs of mourners gathered to honor the late monarch, who died on Thursday. During the appearance, Meghan connected with a 14-year-old girl who gave her a warm embrace.

The teen opened up to CNN about the special moment.

"We were just waiting for her to come, and she came in and asked my name and how my day was, how long I was waiting," the girl told the outlet. "And I asked her if I could have a hug, and she hugged me back. So, that was just quite an amazing moment. I'm still shaking now. I can't really explain what the feeling was when she did it, but it was really nice."

When asked why she wanted to hug the duchess, the teen answered, "It just went through my mind. Everyone was kind of cheering me on, and I guess I felt like I needed to in a way. I just really wanted to at least hug her, because I look up to her in some ways, and it just felt like it was the right thing to do."

She reflected on the tough period that Meghan has experienced since becoming part of the royal family. "It's still such a sad thing that is happening now," she continued. "Because the queen died and also because of everything. … It was quite nice to see William and Kate and Meghan and Harry together. … I just wanted to show her that she's welcome here, I guess. I wanted to hug her after everything that's happened, really now."

The teen added that she didn't expect the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to appear that day. "I was really surprised," she said. "As soon as I saw them, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh.'"

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