An emotional Meghan Markle wiped away tears as she attended a charity tennis event with Prince Harry on Saturday in memory of her friend’s late son.
The Duchess of Sussex posted clips to Instagram from a moving afternoon which saw Kelly McKee Zajfen and her family remember young George, who died suddenly in 2022 at the age of nine after contracting a viral illness.
The annual George Zajfen Tennis Tournament was in support of the Alliance of Moms, a community which supports young mothers, co-founded by Kelly.
And Meghan was visibly emotional as she stood courtside and listened to Kelly’s heartfelt speech in remembrance of her son.
She was supported by Harry, who stood stoically behind his wife and offered his support.
Meghan wore a sleeveless white belted midi dress with black buttons, pairing the item with some dark brown flip flops and toting a cream handbag with tan leather handles.
The Duchess, 44, took to Instagram to show the best bits from the tennis tournament including a snap which saw her chatting to host Kelly, who has been friends with her for more than 20 years and lives close by in California.
The bereaved mother wore a navy tennis-style mini dress with white trim, adding some white and black adidas trainers and accessorising with a black leather clutch bag with a gold chain.
An emotional Meghan Markle wiped away tears as she attended a charity tennis event with Prince Harry on Saturday in memory of her friend’s late son
The Duchess posted clips to Instagram from a moving afternoon which saw Kelly McKee Zajfen, pictured right, and family remember young George, who died in 2022 at the age of nine
A later update showed Harry, 41, giving Lily a big hug and smiling to the camera, with the caption, ‘Our other favorite Lily’, referencing their own daughter Lillibet, four
The friends seemed in good spirits as they exited the venue following a heart-wrenching afternoon.
In a further clip, Meghan gave Kelly a warm embrace in support of her pal on a tough day for the family.
Snaps showed the Duchess posing with Kelly’s family, including daughter Lily, while another video saw the Zajfen’s all together on the court.
She also put an affectionate hand on Harry’s chest as the pair smiled for the cameras, with the duke wearing a classic white polo and dark navy chinos with light grey slip-on pumps.
And a later update showed Harry, 41, giving Lily a big hug and smiling to the camera, with the caption, ‘Our other favorite Lily’, referencing their own daughter Lillibet, four.
Megan and Kelly’s friendly reunion comes after the Duchess’s best friend shared a gushing post about her.
The former model, who originally met Meghan through her ex-husband Trevor Engelson, was asked about her favourite accounts to follow.
In position three, she listed the Duchess’s personal account, @meghan, adding that she is ‘endlessly inspired by her’.
Snaps showed the Duchess posing with Kelly’s family, including daughter Lily, while another video saw the Zajfen’s all together on the court
A second question read: ‘How did you meet Meghan M?! Love seeing you two on here and the joy you bring out in each other.’
Kelly shared a sweet response and highlighted their close friendship over many years, writing: ‘Ahh thank you! I’ve actually known her for almost 20 years? She even came to my wedding (15 years ago) and she’s been the most amazing, nurturing, fun, loving human.
‘She’s been by my side especially since Georgie died and I cherish our friendship very much.’
The day out saw a return to LA for Meghan and Harry after they enjoyed a holiday in New York earlier this month.
The Duchess posted a highlight reel of the trip featuring rows of shoes and clothes.
Meghan showed off her lavish trip to the Big Apple in a wide-ranging Instagram post, having previously claimed that her attempt to be like other families led her to attend yoga and fitness classes with up to 40 to 50 strangers.
The Reel honed in on the luxurious nature of her holiday, which saw the Duchess switch her sprawling $14.65million Montecito mansion for the bright lights of the east coast.
One shot shows an army of pointed toe designer heels lined up, colour coded, on the floor.
Meghan posted a highlight reel of New York with rows of shoes and clothes
The Duchess showed off her lavish trip to the Big Apple in a wide-ranging Instagram post, which saw Prince Harry suddenly appear behind a rack of expensive tops and bags
The next sees a rack of expensive tops and leather bags before the camera pans to yet more clothes, in the form of rows upon rows of trousers arranged neatly on hangers.
It is revealed that this monumental haul is not in the window of one of Manhattan’s swankiest department stores, but in the apartment where Meghan is staying, with Prince Harry suddenly appearing in the background, barefoot and with a beaming grin.
The Duke of Sussex is seen wearing grey track pants and a grey t-shirt as he poses in the doorway.
It came after Meghan hit back at critics saying her Netflix show made her look out of touch and ‘tone deaf’.
In March, she revealed she is friends with ‘stay-at-home’ mums and ‘working women with normal jobs’ and she and Prince Harry are trying to be like other families with children at school.
The Duchess also revealed how she goes to yoga and fitness classes with 40 to 50 others – sometimes on her own or with friends – and she recently greeted a stranger next to her with a fist bump and a ‘well done’.
Meghan said: ‘Once you know us, I think you want us to have the same normalcy as parents and for our children as they do, despite however unique our situation is.’
‘I have a couple of girlfriends up here – these are stay-at-home moms and working women with normal jobs, not in the public eye,’ the Duchess of Sussex, 43, told People of her life in California.
She has faced criticism over her Netflix series. But in an interview with People she said she is friends with working mums
‘We went from just connecting through our kids to having girls’ nights out or doing Pilates together.’
One mother from the school run has said Meghan recently came to a child’s birthday party where she was ‘chilling’ with parents and talked about ‘mom stuff and life’.
‘You can see that, as a unit, they’re all very connected,’ the friend briefed People.
And the former Suits star says she texts Archie and Lilibet’s classes to organise holiday and weekend playdates, saying that the people of Montecito have embraced her, Harry and their two children.
Speaking to People, the Sussexes’ favoured publication in the US, Meghan said she feels part of the community in Montecito.
It came after With Love, Meghan was widely panned and branded ‘out of touch’.
