Meghan Markle Breaks Protocol to Hug Young Girl

From Town & Country

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry spent International Women's Day on a royal visit to Birmingham, where the duo met members of the local community and had the chance to spend time with the Stemettes, a group which encourages young women to pursue careers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).

While there, Markle, who wore a chic navy J.Crew coat for the occasion, made one young girl's day by giving her a hug for the sweetest reason.

After arriving at Millennium Point, Prince Harry met 10-year-old Sophia Richards, a student at Oasis Academy. When Richards told Harry she one day dreamed of being an actress, the Prince took her by the hand and led her over to Markle.

Richards then told Markle of her acting aspirations, and the former Suits actress promptly gave her a hug along with words of encouragement. “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,” Richards said to People magazine. “It was a dream come true. I will never forget this day.” Richards then re-joined her classmates in the crowd.

See photos from the sweet moment here:

While Markle's hug may have broken royal protocol (royals typically only use a handshake as a greeting because there are very specific rules about touching royals), other royals have been spotted bending the rules to hug adorable children through the years. And, since this took place on International Women's Day, it perfectly fits in Markle's agenda of celebrating and supporting women. Just last week, the soon-to-be royal used her voice in support of the of the Time's Up and #MeToo movements.

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