A teenage girl has defended the Duchess of Sussex as “the most genuine, passionate and caring human being” after a video resurfaced of the two meeting four years ago.
The 2016 clip sparked renewed interest following Meghan and Harry’s shock decision to step back from royal life.
The video shows the then Suits actress lauding the benefits of social media during an interview in New York.
Describing it as a "great way to connect with people," she points out a young fan in the audience and says: "I only know (Emily) through Twitter and I knew she was coming because I saw it on social media.
"She's going on a trip soon to Costa Rica to do some aid work because she said that my UN (United Nations) stuff inspired her."
Meghan then calls out to the young high school student, called Emily Sorrells, and tells her: "I wrote you a letter, I brought it!"
The star then hugs the girl, saying: “It’s so good to finally meet you.”
The 54-second clip was shared on Twitter on Sunday by a fan looking to counter criticism levelled at the duchess over the past week.
The person, named only as Michelle, captioned the post: “Don’t forget meghan did this. This is the kind of person she is.”
As the video racked up millions of views and hundreds of comments – both negative and positive – Ms Sorrells herself spoke out.
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Taking to TikTok to condemn the attacks on her idol, she explained the circumstances behind their televised encounter.
"I was one of her biggest fans and she noticed me from following her for a long time," the young woman says in her video response.
"There's actually a whole group of girls around the world that she was always really grateful for and posted about.”
She then goes on to refute speculation their 2016 meeting was staged.
"Basically, she had an interview, I told her I was coming, and then she did this," Ms Sorrells says.
"I'm posting this because, although there's a lot of hate going around, I know her as the most genuine, passionate and caring human being who really had an impact on my life."
Her caption for the message reiterates her praise, saying: “(Meghan) is genuinely the most inspiring human I’ve met.
“Through her social media & blog she taught me to be a more confident and passionate version of myself. The hate against her is garbage.”
Ms Sorrells’s TikTok video has been viewed more than 170,000 times since she posted it on Tuesday, while the re-uploaded clip of her meeting with Meghan has been viewed more than 8 million in just three days.
Responding to the streams of comments, Ms Sorrells wrote: “I wanted to thank everyone for your kind messages and love.
"I didn’t expect any of this to blow up so much, but if this helps spread a positive message about Meghan, it’s worth it.”