Meghan Markle and Meghan Markle sing Happy Birthday
Gotham/GC ImagesPrince Harry And Meghan Markle visited Uvalde, Texas, to surprise the family of the school shooting victim Irma Garcia for her sister Claudia Martinez‘his birthday.
‘Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sing happy birthday to my mother’ Johannes MartinezGarcia’s cousin, wrote via X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, March 9, alongside a video of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex singing Happy Birthday to Claudia. Meghan stood in the kitchen, surrounded by the family, holding a cake decorated with lit candles, while Harry held a hand to his chest and watched as everyone sang.
Garcia worked as a teacher at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde for 23 years. On May 24, 2022, she was one of 21 people killed when an 18-year-old gunman walked into the school and opened fire, killing two teachers and 19 students.
According to Martinez on XThe royal couple have remained in touch with Garcia’s family since the tragic shooting. He also shared on the platform that “the cake was a surprise” for his mother.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sing happy birthday to my mother ❤️🥰😭 pic.twitter.com/fss3TMmM6i
— JohnMtz ☀️ (@fuhknjo) March 9, 2024
“It was such a beautiful experience, they are such nice and compassionate, very down-to-earth, humble people,” Martinez said. CNN in a text message on Friday. “It was a bit of a surprise, her [Meghan] I had called my mom one random day and broke the news not too long ago that she was coming to visit the kids, and of course we got so excited.
Meghan attended South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on Friday, March 8, where she participated in the festival’s opening day keynote panel, “Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen,” presented by The Archewell Foundation and The 19th. A day later, she and Harry drove to Uvalde to check in with Garcia’s family.
“She made this trip in her personal capacity as a mother, to personally express her condolences and support to a community experiencing unimaginable grief,” a spokesperson for Meghan told CNN.
Martinez posted several photos of the visit via X, including two photos of Meghan and Harry posing with Garcia’s two daughters. (Garcia’s husband, Joe, died of a heart attack two days after the shooting.)
Other photos shared via X shows John Martinez talking to Meghan outside his family’s home, as well as the Duke and Duchess posing for a photo with the family dog.
“It really meant the world that Harry and Meghan showed up to visit the family, there were a lot of tears of joy and heartfelt moments,” Martinez said. Hello about Friday’s visit. “They were the nicest, most humble people ever. It was like having family and friends having a great time together. They fit right in, we laughed a lot and shared intimate memories together.”