Meghan Markle’s touching concern for attendees at a royal engagement during a rainstorm in 2018 has featured in a new viral video, after footage from the duchess’ first major tour following her marriage to Prince Harry resurfaced on TikTok.
Meghan married Harry in an elaborate ceremony at St. George’s Chapel near Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England, in May 2018. She served as a working royal until March 2020, when the couple split from the monarchy and moved to the U.S.
During her time as a working royal, Meghan undertook a number of overseas visits with her husband, representing the British government and Queen Elizabeth II. The largest of these took place in October 2018, where the couple embarked on a tour of the South Pacific, including Australia and New Zealand.
The tour coincided with the 2018 Invictus Games, the veterans sporting event headed by Harry, which was held in Sydney, Australia, that year.
During their visits to Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, Harry and Meghan met with the country’s prime ministers, as well as a broad cross section of their populations for charity and official events.
Captioned “Meghan Markle wanting umbrella’s for the kids in the rain,” the video has been viewed over 113,000 times so far, and gained in excess of 4,100 likes and numerous comments, many of which have praised the royal.
“I love her sm [so much],” wrote one user, with another adding: “Lovely Meghan.”
Harry and Meghan’s South Pacific tour was widely considered to have been a success in Britain, with the couple drawing large crowds and positive publicity. However, in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Harry said the trip marked a turning point in relations with his family.
“My father, my brother, Kate and all the rest of the family, they were really welcoming,” the prince said of his family’s reaction to Meghan joining their ranks. “But it really changed after the Australia tour, after our South Pacific tour.”
“That’s when we announced we were pregnant with Archie. That was our first tour,” Meghan said, to which Harry responded: “But it was also the first time that the family got to see how incredible she is at the job. And that brought back memories [of Princess Diana].”
Since their split from the monarchy in 2020, Harry and Meghan have continued to travel internationally to attend philanthropic events.
In May, the couple undertook a three-day visit to Nigeria to attend events connected with the Invictus Games and the couple’s Archewell Foundation.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
