Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Uvalde, Texas, to surprise the family of school shooting victim Irma Garcia for her sister Claudia Martinez’s birthday.
“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle singing happy birthday to my mom,” John Martinez, Garcia’s nephew, wrote via X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, March 9 alongside a video of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex singing happy birthday to Claudia. Standing in the kitchen surrounded by the family, Meghan held a cake adorned with lit candles as Harry held one hand to his chest and looked on as everyone sang.
Garcia worked as a teacher for 23 years at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. On May 24, 2022, she was one of 21 people killed when an 18-year-old gunman walked into the school and opened fire, killing two teachers and 19 students.
According to Martinez on X, the royal couple have kept in touch with Garcia’s family since the tragic shooting. He also shared on the platform that “the cake was a surprise” for his mother.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle singing happy birthday to my mom ❤️🥰😭 pic.twitter.com/fss3TMmM6i
— JohnMtz ☀️ (@fuhknjo) March 9, 2024
“It was such a beautiful experience, they’re so nice and compassionate, very down to earth, humble people,” Martinez told CNN in a text message on Friday. “It was kind of by surprise, she [Meghan] had called my mom one random day and dropped the news on us not too long ago that she was coming to visit the kids and of course, we got so excited.”
Meghan attended South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Friday, March 8, where she participated in the festival’s opening day keynote panel, “Breaking Barriers, Shaping Narratives: How Women Lead On and Off the Screen,” presented by The Archewell Foundation and The 19th. One day later, she and Harry made the drive to Uvalde to check in on Garcia’s family.
“She took this trip in a personal capacity as a mother, to offer her condolences and support in person to a community experiencing unimaginable grief,” a spokesperson for Meghan told CNN.
Martinez posted several photos from the visit via X, including two snaps of Meghan and Harry posing with Garcia’s two daughters. (Garcia’s husband, Joe, passed away from a heart attack two days after the shooting.)
Other photos shared via X show John Martinez speaking to Meghan outside of his family’s home, as well as the Duke and Duchess posing for a photo with the family dog.
“It truly meant the world that Harry and Meghan showed up to visit the family, there were lots of tears of joy and heartfelt moments,” Martinez told Hello about the visit on Friday. “They were the kindest, most humble people ever. It was like having family and friends over having an amazing time together. They fit right in, we laughed a lot and shared intimate memories together.”
