Queen of the airwaves
Couple send crowds gaga as they visit south London radio station, leading to offers to play at wedding
She made her name in the television drama Suits, but yesterday Meghan Markle tried her hand at radio instead. Ms Markle accompanied Prince Harry, her fiancé, to the Reprezent community radio station in Brixton, south London, where they were greeted by throngs of screaming fans, before being shown the ropes by the resident DJS
AT FIRST glance it may have seemed a world away from their normal Kensington Palace lives. But Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received the warmest of welcomes as they visited a Brixton community radio station yesterday, coming away with a host of new friends, an elaborate handshake and no shortage of offers for their wedding DJ.
The Prince and his fiancée were left seeming overwhelmed by their reception, surrounded by screaming admirers as hundreds of Londoners turned out onto the cold streets to shout: “We love you.”
At one point, the noise proved too much for even the experienced ears of Prince Harry, who exclaimed “it’s so loud!” before encouraging Ms Markle to give fans a wave.
The generosity of strangers in her new home was, Ms Markle told one member of the crowd, “incredibly kind”, as she disclosed she was, naturally, “so excited” for her forthcoming wedding. The couple, who were making just their second public appearance together, were praised by DJS and young people at radio station Reprezent, who gave them a crash course in new music and a seven-part fist-bump handshake. DJ YV Shells, 24, from Woolwich, who juggles his medical degree with his work at the station, proclaimed them “so cool, so down to earth”, while Remi Adermi, 24, said of her handshake lesson: “I just thought it was now or never. He’s a cool guy, a sweet guy. And he did it!”
Jevanni Letford, another DJ, went one step further, showing his entrepreneurial spirit as he slipped Prince Harry a business card, offering to perform at the couple’s wedding.
The Prince and Ms Markle spent 45 minutes at Reprezent, delaying their departure to undertake an impromptu walkabout outside.
They had arrived in south London at 3pm, waving to visitors before stepping inside the social enterprise radio station for a private meeting with Shane Carey, the station’s founder, to learn about its success. It has so far trained more than 4,000 young people and nurtured talent including grime star Stormzy. Though they chose not to appear on air, the Prince and Ms Markle were then taken into studios to meet the DJS and donned headphones to listen to a track: Flirt by Pote Read.
Introduced to Gloria Beyi, 17, Ms Markle showed she had been listening carefully to information about the station, quizzing her on her future before declaring: “It’s amazing. It’s so cool.”
She went on to praise the presenter, adding: “I can see why your show is so popular. You’re so thoughtful and your approach is so engaging,” before leaving bystanders in giggles with the promise: “I must tune in.”
In the room next door, the couple met with some of the other young
‘She just couldn’t hide her excitement when Grace asked her. She was glowing’
volunteers, DJS and those on the training programme, embarking on a discussion of an issue close to Ms Markle’s heart: gender equality.
YV Shells said: “I couldn’t believe it when she spoke to me and said she had heard about my work on gender equality. It was beautiful. I am firm believer in normal behaviour when it comes to women, not special, just normal, which means respecting people. It spun me that she mentioned it.”
Prince Harry told him: “As males we have to do our part or it’s not going to work.”
As the couple left, they made a detour to waiting crowds to shake hands and thank them for attending.
Meeting Grace White, 10, and her sister, Olive, seven, Ms Markle thanked them for their proffered flowers and answered a question on whether she was excited about her wedding with an animated: “Of course I am!”
“She couldn’t hide her excitement when Grace asked her,” their mother Helen added. “She was glowing.”
After accepting flowers and pictures made for them by children, the Prince and Ms Markle departed hand-in-hand.