Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Surprised a Zoom Poetry Class and the Reactions Are Priceless
"10/10 would recommend The Duke and Duchess of Sussex for your next Zoom poetry practice."
Over the weekend, a group of poetry students no doubt got the shock of their lives when two very special guests dropped in for a surprise visit to their weekly Zoom poetry session: Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The couple casually joined a virtual poetry class with students from Get Lit, an arts education nonprofit organization that promotes literacy and empowers young people through poetic expression—and yep, the students’ delighted faces pretty much say it all.
In an Instagram post shared on Monday, February 8th, Get Lit’s manager of public outreach, Mason Granger, revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex surprised the students during their class on Saturday, February 6th, in honor of Black History Month, joining for a 45-minute chat in which they listened to poetry and even read some of their own favorite pieces. The couple shared a bit more about their motivations for joining the class, noting that every writer has, at some point, questioned why they were writing, and that young people’s voices are more important now than ever.
Granger shared that Markle echoed so many sentiments we’ve talked about in class, about this particular moment in time/history to be a young person and the ripple effect of a single voice.
He added, “The root of them deciding to come is because at some point in their lives, they were moved by a poem. And whoever wrote that poem at some point thought to themselves, ‘Does this even matter? Is anyone even listening?’ And they shared it anyway.”
It seems the visit was a mutually supportive one for both the famous couple and the young writers, with Granger noting, “My kids shared poems, they asked questions, the kids answered and asked questions back, they responded authentically (they actually read and learned the kids bios I’d sent earlier)…10/10 would recommend The Duke and Duchess of Sussex for your next Zoom poetry practice.”
Not only did Markle share some of her favorite poetry lines, but it seems the pair had a blast joining the California students. Get Lit fellow Cielo Valenzuela shared, “I’m at a loss for words on how cool and incredible this experience was. They were super kind, respectful, and so genuine.”
The moment was surely a memorable one for the students and staffers of Get Lit, which was founded in 2006 and has grown to include programs in more than 100 schools in California. Plenty of the students shared the epic Zoom group shot including the couple, making for an experience we’re sure they won’t soon forget.
Here’s hoping we see more surprise pop-in Zoom appearances from Markle and Prince Harry soon, because seeing so many happy faces is downright priceless.
