How Meghan And Harry Treated Volunteers At MLK Jr. Day Event
Despite their media perception, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are receiving glowing reviews for their in-person interactions. Since moving to Montecito, California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been ardently working to ingrain themselves into the local culture — and their attempts are not going unnoticed.
In December, Harry and Meghan made headlines for donating to the 1st Annual Montecito Holiday Car Parade. Royal expert and Meghan's friend, Omid Scobie — who recently lambasted the royal family for their treatment of the Prince Andrew – tweeted at the time, "Kids from the neighbourhood lined the streets on Mon to cheer on festively decorated cars. It's hoped that the event becomes an annual attraction." The Montecito Journal also thanked Harry and Meghan, "who were first to donate."
In January 2021, royal author Katie Nicholl told Express, "I think possibly there was a time when Harry may have felt a little homesick," particularly after father Prince Charles and brother Prince William fell ill with COVID. "But I think he is loving the California, west-coast lifestyle, it suits him," she continued. "He has always been a very laid-back person, he loves nature and being by the ocean." Now, Harry and Meghan are further rooting themselves in American life after partaking in Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations on January 17.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received high praise
On January 17, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle partook in some charitable work for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, providing food from Black-owned food trucks to staffers and volunteers at Atlanta's King Center for Nonviolent Social Change. In doing so, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex even received top praise from Bernice King, daughter of the late Martin Luther King Jr.
"Thank you, Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for providing local Black-owned food trucks for @TheKingCenter's King Day Community Service Project volunteers today," Bernice tweeted, while also sharing pictures of the event. "I'm so grateful for your graciousness in honoring my father," she added. The couple's act of kindness, however, comes as little surprise, as Meghan has voiced her opinions on systemic issues plaguing America on numerous occasions.
In June 2020, following the death of George Floyd, Meghan delivered a moving speech for her former high school, Immaculate Heart, about race relations in America. "George Floyd's life mattered and Breonna Taylor's life mattered and Philando Castile's life mattered and Tamir Rice's life mattered," she said, per Town & Country. She further added, "You are going to have empathy for those who don't see the world through the same lens that you do, because with as diverse and vibrant and open-minded as I know the teachings at Immaculate Heart are, I know you know that Black lives matter."