Royals

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry thank well-wishers for their ‘incredibly special surprise’

The Duke and Duchess are sharing the love.
meghan markle and prince harry commonwealth day ceremony 2019Getty Images

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have thanked well-wishers for the “incredibly special surprise” which saw thousands of dollars donated to some of the couple’s favourite charities, in lieu of baby shower gifts for the royal parents-to-be.

The ‘special surprise’ refers to the global virtual baby shower that fans organised over social media under the hashtag #GlobalSussexBabyShower, which encouraged fans and well-wishers to donate to charities that Meghan and Harry support or are patrons of.

Over the weekend the couple took to their new record-breaking Instagram account to thank those who donated for their generosity, saying they had long planned to encourage members of the public to make donations to select charities in lieu of sending gifts.

“What an incredibly special surprise #globalsussexbabyshower was last Sunday,” the caption began on their Instagram post.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are immensely grateful for the outpouring of love and support in anticipation of the birth of their first child.

“In lieu of sending gifts, the couple have long planned to encourage members of the public to make donations to select charities for children and parents in need.

“If you have already made a donation, the couple send you their greatest thanks.

“If you are thinking about it, they ask that you kindly consider the following organisations they’ve selected, which we will highlight here over the next few days.”

Meghan and Harry have thanked well-wishers and those who have donated as part of the #GlobalSussexBabyShower. (Image: Getty)

The couple listed The Lunchbox Fund, Little Village, WellChild and Baby2Baby as their charities of choice.

“The Duke and Duchess remain appreciative for your warm wishes and kindness during this especially happy time in their lives!

“Thank you for sharing the love ❤,” the post ends.

Since then @sussexroyal have shared four separate, detailed posts about the charities, which began with The Lunchbox Fund, a charity which works to provide a nutritious daily school meal to children in South Africa who would otherwise go hungry.

The meal encourages children to attend school and enables them to better concentrate and maximise their learning potential. Since its creation the fund has provided more than 20 million meals to school children in need.

The second charity, Little Village is a London-based charity which, similar to a food bank, provides clothes, toys and essential for babies and children up to the age of five.

@sussexroyal explain, “The Duchess of Sussex became aware of the organisation last December and strongly believes in their community ethos and goal to ensure every parent and young child have the necessary supplies and support they need.

“The couple have made private contributions in the last few months, and are excited to share this special organisation with you.”

In September last year Meghan and Harry attended the WellChild Awards, a charity of which Harry has been a proud patron of since 2007 and the third charity the royal couple asked people to consider donating to in lieu of baby gifts.

The UK-based charity works with more than 100,000 children and young people who are living with serious illness or exceptional health needs, with the hope that every child in the UK who has serious health needs has the best possible opportunity to thrive, properly supported at home with their families.

Meghan and Harry attending the WellChild Awards in September 2018. (Image: Getty)

Last but not least, the couple chose Baby2Baby, a Los Angeles charity which provides children aged 0-12 living in poverty with the necessities every child deserves.

“As a native of Los Angeles, the Duchess of Sussex wanted to include a locally based charity from her hometown that helps children and parents in need,” the corresponding Instagram post explains.

“In the last seven years B2B has distributed over 50 million items to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals, underserved schools, and to children who have lost everything in the wake of disasters.”

With their baby’s arrival due any day now, Harry and Meghan have finally settled into their new home, Frogmore Cottage at Windsor, after undergoing months of renovations.

While many had thought the Duchess would opt for the privately-owned Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington as the place to give birth to her first child – like her sister-in-law, Kate – there have now been rumours circulating that Meghan will likely choose a more local hospital.

And with the drive from Frogmore Cottage to Paddington upwards of 40 minutes, the chances she’ll choose a hospital closer to their new home seem more likely (and practical) than ever.

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