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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interaction with a young fan, who experienced a "Cinderella moment" while meeting the couple during their 2019 tour of South Africa, has gone viral after being uploaded to the social media streaming platform TikTok.
The "kind" interaction, which saw the royals assist a young girl in Cape Town when she lost her shoe before meeting Harry, has been viewed over 8 million times in three days since it was posted by TikTok user patriciajinr. It has received more than 460,000 likes.
Captioned "That time Prince Harry and Meghan had a Cinderella moment," the clip was filmed at a reception hosted at the British High Commissioner's residence in Cape Town during the royal couple's last official tour as members of the royal family.
The South African tour saw Harry and Meghan undertake a number of official engagements, including a visit to an HIV and AIDS charity, as well as a meeting with female entrepreneurs.
The couple were also accompanied on the tour by their infant son, Archie, who Meghan revealed in a 2022 Archetypes podcast episode had come close to disaster when a small fire broke out in his nursery while in the country.
At the high commission reception, the royals met with community leaders and young people, among them the young girl identified as Commonwealth Point of Light Award recipient Jade Bothma, who when stepping back lost her shoe, only to be helped back into it by both Harry and Meghan.
The duchess, saving the young girl's blushes, called the fumble a "Cinderella moment" as the prince got down on one knee to assist.
Fans online have praised the royal couple for the genuine interaction, with one user writing of Harry: "He's so humble and sweet, like his mother."
"I don't care what the Tabloids, Media houses say, this guy Prince Harry is the REAL deal. PERIOD," posted another, with a further user adding: "🥰they are both wonderful 🥰"
The Sussexes' South African tour is perhaps now best known for an interview given by Meghan at its close in which she vocalized for the first time her unhappiness at being a member of the British royal family and the abuse she was suffering at the hands of the British media.
Speaking to the ITV network's Tom Bradby, Meghan said that dealing with the pressures of the media was a "very real thing to be going through behind the scenes," and revealed that "not many people" had asked if she was "OK".
Broadcast as part of a documentary following the tour, Harry also spoke to Bradby, addressing for the first time reports of a widening rift between himself and his brother, Prince William.
The royal revealed that the brothers were on "different paths" and had their "good days" and "bad days," but ultimately said: "I love him dearly."
Following their tour and return to Britain, the couple spent Christmas in Canada, where they announced their intention to step back from their senior working royal roles in order to seek financial independence. What followed was a crisis meeting with the then-Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II and William that resulted in Harry and Meghan's complete separation from the monarchy and move to the U.S. in 2020.
Speaking about the meeting during the recently released Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the prince said that it was "terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and my father say things that just simply weren't true and my grandmother, you know, quietly sit there and sort of take it all in."
It was revealed on Monday that Harry has recorded a sit-down 40-minute interview with Bradby to promote his upcoming autobiography, which will air in Britain on January 8, the same day an interview between the royal and Anderson Cooper for 60 Minutes will air in the U.S.
The "raw" and "unflinching" memoir Spare will be released globally on January 10.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more