Just hug me: Rare light-hearted moment for Meghan Markle caught on film
It is safe to say it has not been a smooth week for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the release of their documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey.
However, in typical royal style, the Duchess took it in stride when attending the One Young World Summit’s opening ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
It was there she shared a beautiful and heartwarming moment when she insisted a presenter hug her instead of curtsying.
A video posted to the Sussex Royal Instagram Account showed the moment a founder of the nonprofit, Kate Robertson, began to dip into a respectful curtsy to greet the Duchess.
However the royal mother had her arms outstretched in preparation to embrace Robertson, who she has known since 2014.
The Duchess appeared to shake her head "no" as Robertson began to curtsy, instead pulling her up to finish the warm hug.
It is the first appearance Markle has made since the release of her’s and Prince Harry’s controversial documentary which outlined their struggle of being a modern royal couple.
Both the Duke and Duchess were incredibly candid about navigating a relationship so closely followed by the British press.
The Duchess revealed a friend warned her to end her relationship with Prince Harry when they first began dating.
"My British friends said to me, 'I'm sure he's great, but you shouldn't do it, because the British tabloids will destroy your life,'" she recalled.
"And I very naively - I'm an American and we don't have that there - said, 'What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense! I'm not in tabloids!' I didn't get it."
Markle also revealed that while she "really tried to adopt the British sensibility of a stiff upper lip," she has struggled with the ongoing scrutiny.
"It's not enough to just survive something, right?" she said.
"That's not the point of life. You've got to thrive, you've got to feel happy."
Scroll through the gallery above to see Duchess Meghan’s sweet moment in pictures.