Her Royal Hugness! Meghan’s cuddles for starstruck schoolgirl
TOUCHY-feelY royals aren’t quite so unusual these days.
But Prince Harry and his intended, Meghan Markle, took things to a new level yesterday as they descended on the streets of Birmingham.
Having been introduced to one young fan who wanted to be an actress, Harry plucked her out of the crowd and marched her off to meet his fiancee – who knows a bit about these things.
Ten-year- old Sophia Richards was then treated to a massive bear hug and a pep talk about following her dreams.
Miss Markle, 36, worked as a jobbing actress for years. She even modelled a minuscule red dress while holding a briefcase full of cash on the US version of Deal or No Deal, before eventually finding fame in legal drama Suits.
Sophia, a pupil at the Oasis Academy in Warndon, said afterwards: ‘Meghan told me that I can achieve whatever I want to achieve. And Meghan said she would like to see me on TV when I become an actress. It was a dream come true. I will never forget this day.’
Miss Markle was wearing a £325 belted blue and white coat by Squeeze: A hug for another fan American label J Crew, with a white All Saints jumper underneath, black ankle-grazing trousers and vertiginous black heels.
Harry, 33, who appears to have had something of a make-over of late, was tieless and wearing a fawn jumper with blue chinos and brown suede shoes.
Unusually, the couple – who will marry at Windsor Castle on May 19 – flew to Birmingham by helicopter for their short visit rather than take a train. A spokesman said the decision to take the taxpayer-funded aircraft had been on the advice of the royal visits committee.
They received a rapturous welcome from well-wishers and schoolchildren as they attended their first event, which aimed to inspire the next generation of women to pursue careers in STeM subjects – Science, Technology, engineering and Maths. Harry and Miss Markle tried on virtual reality headsets and – it being International Women’s Day – urged the young girls they met to seize the opportunities open to them at the event run by the ‘Stemettes’ group.
lauren-Mae Sparrow, 13, caught Harry’s interest after telling an audience she is aiming to be an Army officer engineer, winning a round of applause as she said: ‘Should our gender define who we are and what jobs we are allowed to do? I think not.’
The couple later visited a Coach Core project in the city, which trains young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to become sports coaches and is supported by William, Kate and Harry’s Royal foundation.
As the couple watched different groups taking part in sports drills, Harry gave his girlfriend a playful shove as if to encourage her to take part in the basketball group. She laughed but didn’t play ball.