Meghan Markle Called the Family of Uvalde Victim Irma Garcia

Meghan Markle, the wife of Britain's Prince Harry, places flowers as she mourns at a makeshift memorial outside Uvalde County Courthouse in Uvalde, Texas, on May 26, 2022. - Grief at the massacre of 19 children at the elementary school in Texas spilled into confrontation on May 25, as angry questions mounted over gun control -- and whether this latest tragedy could have been prevented. The tight-knit Latino community of Uvalde on May 24 became the site of the worst school shooting in a decade, committed by a disturbed 18-year-old armed with a legally bought assault rifle.

(Image credit: Photo by Chandan Khanna / Getty)

published 27 June 2022

Meghan Markle visited Uvalde, Texas last month in the aftermath of the horrific school shooting that rocked the town on May 24. There, she lay flowers at the makeshift memorial near Robb Elementary School, and donated food and beverages to a community center blood drive.

A few weeks later, the Duchess of Sussex called the family of one of the 21 shooting victims to check in on them.

The nephew of school teacher Irma Garcia, who tragically lost her life while attempting to protect her students, tweeted, "the way my mom just got off the phone with Meghan Markle … the Duchess, she’s so sweet and lovely, she really went out of her way to check on the family, it means so much."

the way my mom just got off the phone with Meghan Markle … the Duchess, she’s so sweet and lovely, she really went out of her way to check on the family, it means so muchJune 19, 2022

The day after the horrific events in Uvalde, Garcia's nephew paid a loving homage to his late "tia." He wrote, "My tia did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom, i beg of you to keep my family including all of her family in y’all’s prayers , IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO. she was loved by many and will truly be missed."

My tia did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom, i beg of you to keep my family including all of her family in y’all’s prayers , IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO. she was loved by many and will truly be missed. pic.twitter.com/2XpdJA0q8xMay 25, 2022

As for the duchess, a spokesperson for her said last month that she visited the Texan town in her "personal capacity as a mother" to "offer her condolences and support in person to a community experiencing unimaginable grief." She is mom to son Archie, 3, and daughter Lilibet, 1, whom she shares with Prince Harry. The duchess traveled from her home in California to Texas to pay her respects.

TOPICS

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of British Vogue, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Refinery29 and SELF. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

Stay In The Know