Meghan Markle has received a warm reception from the public in the U.K. in the days following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, with footage of her hugging a well-wisher outside Windsor Castle going viral.
Now another angle of the hug is circulating on social media showing the conversation between the Duchess of Sussex and the 14-year-old Amelka Zak who embraced her.
In a video of the exchange captured by a TikTok user Isabelle Charters, @IzzyChar97, fans can see Prince Harry and Meghan both speaking to people in the crowd.
"Oh my god, hi!" says the teenager whom Meghan approaches.
The duchess, 41, goes on to ask for the girl's name. "Amelka," she replies.
"Ah, beautiful," Meghan says. "Thank you for being here. It means so much to the family. We appreciate it."
"Thank you," replies Amelka. Meghan then asks how long she has been waiting. "Like, two hours," says the teenager.
"Oh goodness," replies Meghan. "Well, I hope you'll be able to get back home soon. I appreciate you being here."
Amelka then asks Meghan for a hug, to which she replies, "Of course," before leaning in for the embrace.
The TikTok user IzzyChar97 who shared the clip wrote on the caption to the video: "Meeting Meghan, what a beautiful soul. We love and support you."
The teenager in question spoke to CNN afterward about her talk with the former royal.
"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," Amelka said.
"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."
The teenager went on to say that she asked to hug Meghan to show her that she is "welcome" in the U.K.
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
Rumors of a family rift have surfaced in the media after Harry and Meghan's move in 2020 to the U.S., where they have started several multimedia projects. The couple's interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 caused global headlines when Meghan said she faced racism from a member of the royal family.
"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," Amelka said.
"And wanted to hug her after everything that's happened, really."
Meghan continues to be vilified in the U.K. press, but on Friday, King Charles III mentioned her and his youngest son, Prince Harry, during his first speech as monarch.
"I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan as they continue to build their life overseas," the new king said.
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