Alexandra Burke has backed “inspirational” Duchess Meghan for speaking out about her experiences of racism.
The 32-year-old singer met the 39-year-old Duchess of Sussex last year at Westminster Abbey for the Commonwealth Day Service, where the pair shared a hug and Alexandra revealed she found it heartbreaking to watch Meghan detail her troubles in a recent interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Alexandra told The Sun newspaper: “It was heartbreaking for me to watch that. They are a family who have things going on, just like everyone does.
Meghan is the nicest person ever. When we met at the Commonwealth Service, she said wasn’t allowed to hug me because it was at the start of coronavirus — but it was right at the start, before everyone really knew what was going on.
“So she said, ‘I’ve been advised not to hug or touch anyone, but I’m going to hug you anyway’, and then she squeezed me. She was going through a lot, and thanked me for my support.
“Obviously the world knew she was going through a hard time because it was her last official royal commitment.”
Alexandra said she thanked Meghan – who is mixed-raced – for being an inspiration to other Black women.
She explained: “Basically I thanked her for being an inspiration, and I thanked her as a black woman for being a voice.
“I said, ‘The position you are currently in — you have a lot of young, black women looking to you, saying, ‘If she can, I can’.
“I just thanked her, and told her to continue doing what she’s doing, and that all that mattered was that she was happy. She’s such a lovely girl. She’s everything.”